Since June, on the departmental road of Machecoul, new signs have appeared. You can read there, among other things: “Let’s keep the road clean”. This initiative of the Department has one main objective: reduce roadside pollution. Erwan Renaud is an intervention officer at the Saint-Philbert-de-Grand-Lieu road center. He picks up trash every day “It can be urine bottles, baby diapers, fast food packaging, … We really find everything”, he says. Pallets, mattresses, or scrap metal. “Once I found a stroller”, smiled the agent. Another, the center was contacted by the Department to find a blanket that had fallen from a car.
We take risks by picking up litter
All this waste poses several problemsenvironmental, but also safety. “We are aware that some waste is not lost voluntarily, but we must know that we are taking a risk, explains Erwan Renaud. You can have an accident or create a secondary accident, by slowing down, because you have to pick up waste.
Litter found on roadsides is often accidentally dropped objects. “It is important to secure your load properly, with tarpaulins or nets for example”advises Steve Mouraud, the head of the departmental road sector of Saint-Philbert-de-Grand-Lieu.
A campaign that must remain ephemeral?
Every year, 110 tons of waste are picked up in Loire-Atlantique, which costs 10,000 euros, just for the Pays de Retz sector. For Steve Mouraud, this campaign is essential and should be effective. However, he believes that it must remain ephemeral. “We must avoid leaving the panels too long because afterwards the user no longer sees them. He is used to it”, analyzes the technician.
Aglae Gautreau