Dordogne: Do I need a special card to make a visit to the tip?

Reader Question: I live in Dordogne and have been told that I cannot go to the tip without a special card. What is this card and how can I get it?

Most of the Dordogne has its rubbish collected and sorted by a body called the Syndicat Mixte Départemental des Déchets de la Dordogne, which prefers to call itself SMD3.

Exceptions are around the towns of Thiviers, parts of the canton of Nontron and parts of Périgord Noir, which have separate bodies.

SMD3 brought a new system into force on February 1, under which the waste management centres it runs are only accessible by putting a card into the barrier.

For this year, each household can use the card as often as they like, but from 2023, anyone using the tip more than 26 times a year will be charged for each visit over their allotted 26.

SMD3 said it did not know yet how much the charge will be.

Professionals will get their own card with unlimited visits to the tip as part of their compulsory subscription to the service.

The whole of the Dordogne will from 2023 introduce a system where the existing tax which goes towards household rubbish collection and sorting will be replaced by a compulsory subscription of €80-€95.

SMD3 says that this is a fairer system because people will only be charged for the rubbish they produce rather than at a blanket rate determined by the value of their home.

Added to this will be a sliding scale of charges depending on the number of times the big bins where people put their bags of household rubbish are opened and 30-litre sacks put in one by one.

These bins will also be card-operated, and SMD3 says the sliding scale will probably start at €65 for 24 openings, and go up to €195 for 72 openings.

Critics of the system say they fear that the system, which is designed to encourage residents to reduce their household waste, will instead simply lead to more fly-tipping.

If you have not received the necessary card, you can contact SMD3 by ringing 09 71 00 84 24 between 08:30 and 17:30 on weekdays and 09:00 and 12:30 on Saturdays, emailing service.usagers@smd3.fr or filling in the online form.

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