One million tonnes of rubbish dumped in France each year: street cameras used to catch offenders
More than 200 local authorities in France now use technology
Around one million tonnes of rubbish is illegally dumped in France each year, prompting a growing number of councils to install mobile cameras designed to catch and identify offenders.
More than 200 local authorities in France are now using technology made by French company Vizzia as part of efforts to tackle fly-tipping and other illegal dumping.
The company provides movable cameras that can be installed at locations where rubbish is repeatedly abandoned and later relocated to other problem areas. When movement is detected, the system alerts council staff, who can then review the footage.
Vizzia says its systems have been involved in the detection of more than 110,000 dumping incidents over the past 12 months. It also says that local authorities using the technology have issued more than €1 million in fines, while some areas have reported significant falls in illegal dumping.
Abandoning rubbish in a public or private place can result in a €135 fixed fine if paid within 45 days, rising to €375 after that deadline. If the case goes to court, the fine can reach €750, or €1,500 where a vehicle was used to transport the waste, with possible confiscation of the vehicle.
Cameras increasingly used by French councils
In Seine-et-Marne, 10 cameras are due to be used on a rotating basis in 41 participating communes to identify people illegally dumping rubbish. The department collects around 1,000 tonnes of waste from its roads each year, at a cost of €1 million.
Rouen has also joined the scheme, with mobile cameras being made available to communes in the Rouen Normandy metropolitan area. The cameras can capture the moment rubbish is dumped and record the registration number of any vehicle involved.
At Villiers-le-Bel, near Paris, authorities have begun using a new generation of movable, longer-range cameras, which are regularly repositioned to cover different areas of the town.
Vizzia says its latest system does not use continuous recording or automated facial or number-plate recognition. Instead, cameras are activated when movement is detected, with footage reviewed by authorised staff.
The use of cameras to detect illegal dumping also comes amid a wider debate in France over the use of AI-assisted surveillance.
A bill proposed by Senator Pierre-Jean Verzelen in May would expand the use of so-called smart cameras capable of detecting predefined incidents, including illegal dumping.
The technology remains subject to approval, however, and cannot use facial recognition or automatically identify individuals.
How should bulky waste be disposed of?
Residents should take bulky household items, DIY waste, garden waste and other materials that cannot be put in normal household bins to their local déchèterie, or waste-recycling centre.
Most déchèteries accept items including wood, electrical goods, batteries, light bulbs, cardboard and some DIY materials, although rules vary between communes.
They are generally free for local residents to use, although some require an access card issued by the local council. Certain materials, including asbestos and potentially hazardous waste, may require specialist disposal.
Some bulky items, such as mattresses, kitchen appliances and furniture can be left by the roadside for the encombrants service to pick up.
The collection dates for encombrants are fixed by each commune, but is typically once a month. In some cases, residents must first call the mairie to inform them that they have items for collection.
Survey highlights gap between attitudes and behaviour
The growing use of surveillance technology comes as a new survey* for environmental association Gestes Propres highlighted the scale of the problem.
Although 98% of respondents said they disposed of rubbish correctly, 35% admitted abandoning at least one item of waste during the previous 12 months - of whom 69% affirm that their reasons for doing so was not reflected in the survey’s proposed responses.
The survey also found widespread misconceptions about what happens to rubbish once it is thrown away. Some 54% wrongly believed food waste could be thrown into nature because it is biodegradable, while 47% thought rubbish abandoned on a beach had a good chance of being collected.
Some 61% of respondents said they would be less likely to abandon rubbish if they knew they were being watched.
*Online survey of 2,001 people by Ifop for Gestes Propres in September 2025
