Thousands of mussel shells will be used to make public benches after several hundred tonnes of mussels are consumed this weekend at the annual Braderie de Lille festival.
The ‘braderie’ (‘flea market’) dates back to the 12th century, and attracts almost three million people every year. With more than 10,000 exhibitor stalls, it is one of the biggest gatherings of its kind in France and Europe.
This year’s festival is set to take place from Saturday September 14 to Sunday 15, 2024 in the Nord (Hauts-de-France) city.
The Braderie de Lille is one of the biggest gatherings of its kind in Europemimpki/Shutterstock
Moules mountains
Moules-frites is the traditional dish served during the music festival part of the event, and every year, several hundred tonnes of mussels are eaten.
All the shells of the mussels consumed will be deposited in around 20 huge piles during the weekend (see photo below), before being collected by city authorities on Sunday evening.
The huge piles of shells will be collected by authorities and turned into slats for benchesmimpki/Shutterstock
The shells will then be collected and sent to Lille-based recycling company Wasterial for processing (including being cleaned, broken, and sorted), and will go towards making slats for benches for the city.
It is typical for the shells to be reused and made into something meaningful in the city after the event. In previous years, they have been used to make ornamental tiles for walls or small tables, as well as furniture.
