France Is One Of The Worst Recyclers In Europe Here's What It Plans To Do About It

France is one of the worst recyclers in Europe but there are several campaigns aiming to tackle environmental awareness, particularly in homes. Research shows that it very rarely comes down to simple motivation — there are many other obstacles. Habits also need to change from when people buy things and not just when they’ve finished with them.

France gets through a lot of rubbish

France produces 28 tonnes of waste each second. Of particular worry is the waste that comes from households, where people’s bottles, cans, packaging and wrapping adds up to a whopping 354 kg per person on average every year.

France has an ambitious target to reach in sorting all its recycling

France lags behind its European neighbours in its recycling rates

France has one of the lowest recycling rates in Europe

It’s expensive to deal with all this waste

It costs the government €89 per person to recycle or dispose of everyone’s waste. Under increasing environmental pressure and the need to be more sustainable, this is becoming a bigger problem each year. French households have had to deal with a huge increase in the cost of sorting out all their waste; bills rose by 24 percent between 2008 and 2012. It’s clear that something needs to be done.

France must recycle more of its bottles under ambitious new plans

There are lots of ways France plans to increase its recycling rates

There’s an increasing number of campaigns to raise awareness of recycling issues across France. People are being encouraged to produce less waste in the first place, meaning there would be less to dispose of. Many of France’s leading companies are helping too; Danone recently modified Evian bottles so they can be more easily recycled. Households are also being encouraged to use innovative bins, which help to recycle and won’t let you put things into the wrong pile. As recent research shows, recycling rates are rarely to do with motivation. People need help to produce less waste and new ideas for how to deal with it. Maybe France now has what it needs to join its European counterparts.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.