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Whether you call it a waste-recycling centre, a tip or a garbage dump, the French term is une »å鳦³óè³Ù±ð°ù¾±±ð, originally coined from déchets (waste) and trier (to sort). 

Note that this word is not spelt consistently in France: your local sign may read »å鳦³ó±ð³Ù³Ù±ð°ù¾±±ð (the original term invented in 1987) or the spelling later approved by the Académie Française, »å鳦³óè³Ù±ð°ù¾±±ð. 

France produces an average 530kg of municipal waste per capita, slightly above the EU average of 511kg. Local authorities are under increasing pressure to reduce and recycle, particularly at the municipal »å鳦³óè³Ù±ð°ù¾±±ð.

Open to all local residents, the »å鳦³óè³Ù±ð°ù¾±±ð is where you take unwanted or broken items that cannot be sorted at home into recycling bags or household waste. 

Far from simply being a place to ‘dump’ items, it is also a recycling centre: 48% of municipal waste in the EU is now recycled and in France 64% of general waste is either recycled or used as rubble. 

In nearly all communes, the »å鳦³óè³Ù±ð°ù¾±±ð is a free resource, but some sites can only be accessed using an entry card issued to local residents. If your »å鳦³óè³Ù±ð°ù¾±±ð has a barrier, ask your mairie for a card.

Read more: More French communes end home bin collections

What can I take to the »å鳦³óè³Ù±ð°ù¾±±ð?

Rules can vary from one commune to the next, but most »å鳦³óè³Ù±ð°ù¾±±ðs accept:

• Bulky items, eg. cardboard boxes

• Wood, chipboard, stone and tiles

• DIY waste, eg. paint and aerosol cans

• Garden waste

• Electrical items 

• Smaller items, eg. ink cartridges, batteries and bulbs

Respect the signs about how to dispose of each item; for example, cardboard boxes must be flattened before being placed in the containers. 

Read more: Only one-in-five returns packaging in French bid to cut waste

What do »å鳦³óè³Ù±ð°ù¾±±ðs not accept?

You cannot leave tyres, fire extinguishers or explosives, or any healthcare waste that could be infectious. 

Depending on your local council’s rules, certain waste from renovation work might not be accepted, such as cement, plasterboard and remains of any enduit render. 

Asbestos (amiante), used in many building products, has been banned in France since 1997 as its fibres are extremely dangerous. 

Very few »å鳦³óè³Ù±ð°ù¾±±ðs can accept it and, if they do, it is under particular conditions, so you will still need to contact a specialist waste-management company. 

Find your nearest by asking your mairie or searching for désamianteur qualification 1552. 

The water company, Véolia, also offers a service for disposing of asbestos: simply search Véolia amiante.