Is it necessary to sign up to a local déchetterie in France before using it?
Rules are changing in several areas to cut down on excessive waste
Some areas limit how many free trips can be made to local tips
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Reader Question: We have been told that we need to register at our local waste centre before using it. What does this involve?
Access to déchetteries (tips or waste centres) is not standardised in France, and depends on your location.
Some areas still have free, unrestricted access to tips with locals able to turn up to drop off waste, provided you go within opening hours.
However, other departments now require users dropping items off at a déchetterie to register with the tip in a bid to reduce excess waste being dropped off.
Badge usually required
In some areas, this sees residents having to apply for an electronic badge that must be swiped to access tips. They will need to provide proof of address and identity to have the badge sent to them.
In some areas, it is free to apply for the badge and use it a certain number of times a year.
The badges can often be used at multiple tips, such as all of those within a certain municipality or operated by a specific waste management company.
In Nice (Alpes-Maritimes) for example, badges can be obtained for free and users can drop off up to two tonnes of waste per year – or 16 round-trips – at the city’s 13 tips before they need to pay for additional visits.
Similar rules elsewhere see similar limits – elsewhere in the department, the company managing déchetteries allows up to one and a half tonnes to be dropped off, and others in Brittany allow up to 24 trips.
Additional costs can be charged either per trip or for the weight/type of items being dropped off after reaching the limit.
From our research, it seems that in most areas applying for a badge is free for local residents, and it is only after exceeding fairly high free usage limits you will need to pay.
Information will be available online.
Before leaving, check that what you wish to bring can be dropped off at a déchetterie.
Read more: What items can I take to local tip in France? Are any banned?
Not to be confused with private bins
You should not confuse déchetteries – large local tips for larger objects, specific materials that cannot go in normal household waste, and green waste (déchets verts) with points d'apport volontaires.
These are neighbourhood drop-off points that are used in some newer waste collection systems as a replacement for door-to-door pick-up of household waste, with homeowners using a badge or electronic key to access bins in which to place their waste.
These often come with more stringent limits on how many times they may be used and are associated with a waste collection fee, and additional fees over and above a certain number of bin openings.
Recent court rulings mean use of the systems in certain areas may be coming to an end.
Read more: Return to door-to-door home rubbish collection expected for many in France
