Compulsory composting from January 1, 2024: where are we?

Selective sorting has now become a habit in the daily lives of French people. Soon in addition to glass or plastic, homes will have to have a compost bin, an anti-waste device which should be compulsory from January 1, 2024.

In total, 83 kilos of waste are thrown away each year. With the installation of compost at home, the objective is to offer this waste a second life by being recycled. In total, 35,000 municipalities in France are preparing to implement this system.

Peelings or plant waste, from now on they must end up in compost. If composting is not obvious to everyone at first glance, this new implementation could well shake things up.

However, some French people still seem hesitant about this method, as some explain in a report from TF1 : “It’s a habit to get into, like everything. It could take some weeks, even months, and even years…”, “The smells, the fact that it brings back rats, animals…”,“The people in the residence already have difficulty putting in the trash, so are they going to do that, are they going to play the game?” You will have understood for the moment that this novelty raises questions and does not really reassure.

Another problem is the installation and implementation of this project. The deadline turns out to be short and the municipalities are numerous, it seems difficult to imagine that each household will have its own composter on January 1st. As proof, an experiment carried out in the town of Eaubonne in Val-d’Oise. Eric Brulfert, master composter, explains to our colleagues: “For the January deadline, based on the experiment that is being carried out, we will be on time for 7,000 housing units. On the other hand, there are still many residents and many housing units which will be without a solution on January 1.”

Fortunately, for now “no fine is planned for individuals who do not respect this new rule, the measure resting on the municipalities” our colleagues explain. It’s already that…