Eco-mobilier is offering local authorities the opportunity to sign the "Territorial Contract for Used Furniture 2019-2023", the result of consultation with local authority representatives during the 1st half of 2019. The aim of this contract is to have an environmentally and economically responsible furniture recycling sector, based on the optimization of facilities and the operation of the sector. Eco-mobilier is proposing that local authorities sign this contract before December 31, 2019, in order to benefit retroactively from financial support for the whole of the current year.
Paris, November 19, 2019 - Eco-mobilier is the eco-organization in charge of collecting, sorting and recycling furniture, objects and furnishing and fittings components. Since October 2018, Ecomobilier has also taken charge of used comforters and pillows.
Eco-mobilier works closely with local authorities, which collect 85% of used furniture. The French can visit one of the 2,887 drop-off centers equipped with an Eco-mobilier skip, or make use of the bulky goods collection services in certain large towns. This collaboration, framed by the "Territorial Contract for Used Furniture", makes it possible to optimize furniture collection and pay financial support to local authorities based on the tons collected.
Since 2018, discussions relating to the development of this contract have been taking place in a Consultation Committee bringing together Eco-mobilier and representatives of local authorities. The challenge is to optimize the filling of skips installed at waste collection centers in order to minimize the carbon footprint linked to the collection of this waste. Eco-mobilier is proposing the introduction of a progressive fee scale based on the rate at which skips are filled. This change in fee structure requires a technical adjustment to the specifications of the eco-organizations involved in the DEA (Déchets d'Éléments d'Ameublement) sector. Further discussions with representatives of local authorities and public authorities are currently underway.
While discussions are continuing to strengthen cooperation and optimize the sector, Eco-mobilier must be pragmatic and responsible. WEEE skips have therefore remained in place at equipped drop-off centers, and collection has continued, even in the absence of a contract. And now, to take account of the municipal elections in March 2020, local authorities can sign the 2019-2023 contract today, and make their half-yearly declarations as soon as possible to receive financial support for the current year.
"To be an environmentally and economically responsible industry, we need to work closely with our stakeholders. This ambitious project reflects Eco-mobilier's commitment to achieving ZERO waste for furniture by 2023," explains Dominique Mignon, President of Eco-mobilier.
Retroactive contracts and electronic signatures
To speed up administrative procedures, Eco-mobilier is introducing electronic signatures. Once the contract is active, it enables Eco-mobilier to ensure continuity of service and to continue installing skips for WEEE at drop-off centers that have not yet been equipped. Local authorities that were under contract in 2018 and sign the "Used Furniture Territorial Contract 2019-2023" before December 31, 2019 will benefit from retroactive support for the whole of 2019.
This support will be calculated on the basis of the 2018 support scale. In addition, over the 2019-2020 period, the "tonnages equivalent-DEA" eligible for financial support from Eco-mobilier will be taken into account under the same conditions and on the same financial basis.
To improve dumpster filling
The evolution of the Eco-mobilier contract takes into account the results of the "Collection Advisors" study carried out between June 2018 and June 2019 by Cabinet Inddigo on behalf of Eco-mobilier in nearly 1,000 drop-off centers to identify levers for optimizing dumpster filling. This study identifies the best practices to be implemented, and the conclusions are shared by representatives of local authorities and public authorities.
- Timely dumpster removal
15% of waste collection centers do not take dumpster fill rates into account when requesting dumpster removal, 30% are unaware of the conditions for dumpster removal, and 7% operate with an automatic schedule that is not adapted to actual needs.
To optimize the system, dumpster removal should be triggered according to the actual fill rate. Eco-mobilier recommends monitoring the tonnage of each dumpster on a daily basis, and optimizing dumpster rotation. In addition, Eco-mobilier is raising operators' awareness of the need to respect dumpster removal deadlines and to be more reactive.
46% of waste collection center wardens and technicians do not know the operators.
Encouraging telephone exchanges between operators and waste collection centers involves actions as simple as exchanging telephone numbers to keep each other informed in the event of unforeseen circumstances. Better communication will make the system run more smoothly.
- Eliminating filling bottlenecks
10% of skips are not docked, and are therefore filled from the rear rather than the top.
40% of skips with sliding hoods present handling difficulties.
Eco-mobilier recommends positioning the skips at the bottom of the dock and checking that they are
undamaged. Bins with sliding covers will be phased out gradually. For a six-month trial period,
landfill sites handling more than 300 tonnes/year will be able to test the use of
buffer skips.
- Enforce sorting instructions to collect all furniture (especially heavy furniture).
12% of depots do not have signs for WEEE, and 27% use signs with errors. 44% of the depots visited plan to make users aware of the need to dismantle furniture before depositing it at the depot.
Eco-mobilier proposes to make it easier for users to find their way around, with appropriate signage on the WEEE skip and on skips likely to contain WEEE (all-risk, wood, scrap metal).
78% of permanent wardens say they have received training, as do 57% of replacement wardens. 38% do not know all the instructions, and half of them are unaware of the one concerning dismantled furnituré.
As janitors and technicians are the ambassadors of good practices for users, fact sheets will be made available to them so that they can be perfectly familiar with the sorting instructions for furniture. To raise awareness among the general public, Eco-mobilier recommends rethinking the location of the DEA skip, and preferably placing it close to the janitor and away from the wood and all-purpose skips.