Garden waste disposal is free in Dordogne until November 9

Seven déchèteries (waste collection centres) in the department of Dordogne (Nouvelle-Aquitaine) are offering free disposal of green waste (such as tree and shrub prunings) until November 9, reports France Bleu. 

The measure is designed to coincide with autumn, when many homeowners prune their gardens ahead of the onset of winter. The measure also takes place for a limited time in early spring.

Private homeowners in the area will be permitted to bring their green waste free of charge (not counting towards their usual permitted annual limit), until November 9, at the centres of:

• Boulazac, Thiviers, Saint-Astier, Ribérac, Ménesplet, Saint-Pierre-d'Ayraud, and Le Bugue.

All plants are accepted except conifers and bamboo.

Private individuals in the area usually have a card that allows them to visit the déchèterie a limited number of times per year, which works out at around once every two weeks.

Residents are not normally allowed to dispose of waste such as garden cuttings in any other way. Burning, for example, is strictly banned.

Read also: Explained: French garden rules on cleaning, bonfires, planting and more 

Free fertiliser material

Individuals who bring in their green waste during this ‘free’ period may also pick up free shredded mulch-like material, which gardeners can use as a natural fertiliser.

“It will be very useful for the vegetable garden, in flower beds, or in the composter,” said Patricia Puyraud, local déchèterie coordinator, to FranceBleu.