Hospitals, shopping, waste charges: 5 French practical updates

Bin fee charges

A large increase in the number of local authorities using ‘incentive charges’ when collecting waste is expected over the coming years as part of wider plans to reduce the amount of waste produced by households.

This article explains what can be charged and the average costs of these ‘incentive charges’ depending on the number of collections required.

Up to 25 million people could face the charges in the next few years.

Read more: Bin collection fees in France: what changes do you need to know about?

Medicine and product recalls

A mass recall of an over-the-counter herbal medicine is underway in France after a prescription sleeping pill was found in one of their boxes.

Pharmacists are working with Bayer to recall over 16,000 boxes of Euphytose, and are asking people who have recently bought this to take their boxes to a nearby pharmacy or doctor to see if it needs to be returned.

Read more: Wrong medication found in herbal sleeping pills box in France

At the end of last week we looked at two other products also facing recalls – a drain cleaner and a bottled water brand.

Read more: Product recalls in France: Drain cleaner and bottled water

How good is your local hospital?

The newest rankings of France’s healthcare services – including hospitals and local clinics – has been released by the Haute Autorité de Santé (HAS), France’s highest health authority.

The QualiScope tool allows you to check the rankings of health centres via location, sector, or the specific name of the facility.

Note that not all hospitals have yet been ranked, however.

Patient satisfaction rankings are on the up, especially for outpatients.

Read more: How does your local French hospital fare in official quality rankings?

Shop now to get a bargain

Supermarket chains in France are selling a number of non-food products at reduced prices to move old stock before a change in the law limits discounts from March 1, 2024.

Changes to the EGalim law mean that from that date non-food items will also be subject to a limit on discounts that shops can apply, as food currently is.

Read more: What is France's EGalim law and why does it matter to farmers?

Currently, the discount limit is 34% with shops unable to drop prices below this level.

Some hygiene products can be found for as much as 80% cheaper than usual.

Read more: Why now is good time to stock up on hygiene products in France

Hospital fees explainer

Finally, we return to healthcare to explain how hospital fees work for overnight patients.

We cover the different types of fees possible as well as how they are calculated.

In addition, we look at what happens to people who do not have medical insurance and how they are treated in such cases.

Read more: How do hospital fees work in France?

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