Illegal dumping: Bellevue is not a rubbish tip
In Saint-Martin, dumping rubbish on private land rather than taking it to the recycling centre has become second nature for some. A lack of civic-mindedness, the absence of penalties, and disregard for the health and environmental consequences: some property owners have no choice but to take action, as in Bellevue.
The Bellevue - Mont Fortune estate is a private property whose owners have chosen to grant free access to the public for walking, cycling and outdoor sports. This civic-minded gesture, unfortunately, comes at a cost. Trucks regularly turn up to dump their loads there with impunity. Everything ends up there: furniture or white goods dumped by private individuals, as well as entire loads of rubble, broken windows or concrete from professional building sites. “To avoid paying the waste disposal centre fee, tradespeople come and dump directly on the site. Entire lorries,” explains Mathias Durand-Reynaldo, the site manager. The issue isn’t limited to a few items of bulky waste being dumped: literally dozens of bags of rubbish are regularly collected from the site. Not long ago, a lorry dumped the entire contents of a septic tank near the sports grounds, rendering the access routes impassable for several days. Real health risks, just a few metres from an area frequented by young people. “There is some household waste, but in 90% of cases, it comes from businesses.” Businesses that are cutting corners by avoiding the recycling centre, thereby shifting the cost—financial, health-related and environmental—onto others.
The cost of anti-social behaviour
Every year, several lorries are deployed to clear the accumulated waste, not to mention the removal of car wrecks requiring the use of cranes. All at the owner’s expense, even though they make their land available to the public without compensation. “It’s a question of energy, hassle, but also money. It’s not normal. ” So why? A lack of civic responsibility, a lack of awareness, contempt for the law, or simply a ‘couldn’t care less’ attitude? Mathias Durand-Reynaldo won’t say. Probably a bit of everything. Yet the Galisbay recycling centre is free for private individuals. And businesses are legally required to dispose of their waste at their own expense. But on the ground, it’s a different story.
Zero tolerance
Faced with the scale of the problem, the response has become concrete and methodical. Over the past year or so, rock barriers, earth mounds, gates and padlocks have been installed on the site. Motor vehicles are banned from the site, but the public remains welcome on foot or by bike. Fixed and concealed cameras cover the site. Number plates can therefore now be recorded, and in the event of illegal dumping, complaints will be filed with the police. The tone has been set.
