Collection of organic waste from businesses by bicycle, with the aim of turning it into compost, which is then sold to farmers or gardeners.

Winner of the 2020 competition organized by France s’engage

Activity: 30% of our trash consists of organic waste, which is typically incinerated. Based on this observation, La Tricyclerie was founded to collect this organic waste by bicycle from businesses and professionals, with the goal of turning it into compost, which is then sold to farmers and gardeners.

 This virtuous cycle thus meets the requirements of the Energy Transition Law, which requires cities to organize waste sorting.

Today, La Tricyclerie collects 7 tons of waste per month, which is recycled using composting methods best suited to the urban environment.

 Through a network of partners built around the Tricyclerie concept, the association is weaving a comprehensive regional network adaptable to other urban environments, while also conducting educational initiatives.

To respond to the 300 requests from project leaders in France, the association now aims to roll out the Tricyclerie network from Nantes across the entire country.

By the numbers:

• 172 kg of organic waste produced per person per year
• 127 tons of waste collected by Tricyclerie since 2016
• 7,000 km traveled by bike

Objectives

• Collect organic waste from businesses;
• Recycle this waste into compost;
• Resell this compost to farmers or gardeners;
• Conduct educational outreach with businesses and professional organizations on waste reduction, food waste, and composting.

Areas of Development

• Develop a comprehensive network of Tricycleries, with Nantes as the network hub;
• Expand the Nantes team to support and monitor project leaders, using shared governance tools that have already been developed;
• Strengthen the cooperation system among Tricycleries through R&D on logistics and waste recovery, the sharing and harmonization of best practices, and the exchange of knowledge;
• Develop digital tools, particularly for communication;
• Establish a partnership with Les Alchimistes;