Explained: The dos and don'ts of French municipal rubbish dumps

Whether you call it a waste-recycling centre, a tip or a garbage dump, the French term is une déchèterie, originally coined from déchets (waste) and trier (to sort). 

Note that this word is not spelt consistently in France: your local sign may read déchetterie (the original term invented in 1987) or the spelling later approved by the Académie Française, déchèterie. 

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 déchèterie.

Open to all local residents, the déchèterie 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 déchèterie is a free resource, but some sites can only be accessed using an entry card issued to local residents. If your déchèterie has a barrier, ask your mairie for a card.

Read more: More French communes end home bin collections

What can I take to the déchèterie?

Rules can vary from one commune to the next, but most déchèteries 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 déchèteries 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 déchèteries 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.