Recycling and usage of yellow bags in Dordogne

Residents of the Dordogne or “Périgourdins” can be very proud of their actions when it comes to recycling household waste and using efficiently the now famous “sacs jaunes” - “yellow bags”. Since 1st March 2012, it is permitted to recycle all types of plastics, packaging and containers in these yellow bags, without having to do a pre-selection of the type of plastic.

Not surprisingly, the results are overwhelming and go beyond what the administration in charge of refuge and recycling in Dordogne was expecting. Today, a Dordogne property housing a 4 person-family recycles 2 yellow bags per week versus 1 only before. Single people who had a problem filling up the bags because of their large capacity now have no problem at all to do so. The yellow bags/regular black bags trend is now inverted with a higher usage of yellow bags!

As a reminder and for hygiene purposes, during the French hot season (we still have hot days in autumn in Périgord) … make sure to empty your kitchen black bags often; if you cannot fill them up sufficiently, choose smaller ones that you will be able to throw away more regularly.

There is also another option for recycling in Dordogne which is composting, even if you live in a city, as advertised by the Communauté d’Agglomération Périgourdine (CAP). A system of “semi-collective” composting offers the possibilities to those living in town in residential buildings, those working in collectivities such as schools and/or hospitals and clinics, to compost their waste like private individuals can do in the countryside.

Périgourdins are models when it comes to Dordogne recycling and this choice to respect the environment deserves a big BRAVO.