Around the president of the Chamber of commerce, the representatives of working unions have come to find a quick solution for the waste stocking.
'The wastes problem, following the re-closure of the La Glacière site, bring us six months back ! The situation is extremely serious and needs short-term solutions'. With Gérard-Louis Bosio, the new president of the Union Départementale des Entreprises de la Côte d'Azur (the union in the department for companies of the French Riviera), Francis Perugini, the president of the CCI Nice Côte d'Azur, didn't mince his words.
Working unions join forces
On Wednesday in the afternoon, during the press conference rapidly set up to announce company managers and workers' anger, he has called for rapid measures. Since Monday, because of the Administrative Court decision to suspend Prefect's order which authorized the use of the rubbish dump in La Glacière, the public buildings and work's sector has no solution for its rubble, as well as companies with their non polluting wastes. They reached an impasse !
The fact that most of the working unions representatives were present (see the list) is a sign of company managers' worry in front of the problem they met. They really wanted to confirm resulting difficulties. They've been able to life size test the problems posed by the lack of rubbish dump during the former crisis. This happened in June 2000, with the first closure of the Jas de Madame, the other site which is now over-saturated and definitely closed.
'Local authorities have to face their responsibilities !'
Each one of them could express himself. Paul Di Natale, the president of the FDBTP : ' if the industry has been given a boost, the margin profit remain low. From 0 to 2%. Still, the wastes cost 1%…'.Carriage company managers confirm : ' The Alpes-Maritimes is one the departments that have to export its wastes. The price of the 'exported' ton has already been up to 1000 francs !'. Most of the companies cannot afford such a price because they don't have the same budget as cities. However it is a general problem. Only 2% of urban wastes are recycled whereas today companies on the French Riviera recycle almost 35%of their wastes.
'Local authorities (responsible for the management of wastes) have to face their responsibilities,Francis Perugini underlines. We are in such a situation because since the decentralization law (1982), no decision has been taken, delays are accumulating. Moreover there are more and more recourses from societies which are in favour of a rubbish dump or a treatment site, but not behind their house. Anyway, the department is developing and it needs solutions which, of course, have to respect environment. We have to be able to treat our wastes right here : exporting them is not conceivable on the long term.'
As a conclusion, everybody agreed to say that new solutions have to be found rapidly, on pain of seeing the department completely stifled in the coming days. In addition to companies anger there would be the rumbling of citizens of the French Riviera who could go down the streets along with the people working in that industry.