But who is this man who roams the mountain pastures of the Pyrénées-Orientales with old rusty cans on his back? For the past few months, Jimmy Vial tracks down big waste abandoned in the mountains: metal sheets, old pipes, rolls of barbed wire, airplane wrecks … sherpa equipment, he cuts them up and transports them over several kilometers, off the beaten track, to transport them to the recycling center.
“The idea was running through my head for a long time“, says this 52 year old trail enthusiast.”Every year I travel 2,000 kilometers in the mountains: everywhere, I come across large debris that has been abandoned for decades and that no one cares about. I said to myself: we really have to do something. And if access is not possible by vehicle, I will bring this waste down by hand!“.
Thus was born the association “Dreams O summits“last spring, with the mission of”clean, decontaminate, dismantle obsolete installations, sort and repatriate debris, perpetuating the yesteryear tradition of portage on human backs“. With the help of the municipality of Porta, Jimmy Vial was able to buy his first equipment.
Nearly two tonnes of waste already recovered
In just three months, the association has already cleaned seven sites in the Carol Valley. Nearly two tons of garbage was brought down from the mountain with the sheer force of the wrist. Next challenge: recover the carcass of a microlight which crashed at an altitude of more than 2,000 meters, in an almost inaccessible sector.
Faced with the magnitude of the task, the association calls on all mountain lovers, hoping to arouse vocations. The objective is also to carry out a complete mapping of the large waste abandoned in the mountains. “Hikers, hunters, shepherds: everyone can act in a simple way, by listing the debris and telling us their exact location “. Donations are welcome to complete the volunteers’ equipment (gloves, carrying or cutting equipment).
To join the association:
- Address: 3 Rue de la Vieille Fontaine, 66760 Porta
- Email : [email protected]
- Phone: 06 04 53 91 27
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