Le Point Fort Environnement is “110,000 tonnes of waste treated per year, 110 agents and nearly 120,000 inhabitants concerned in five agglomerations, Saint-lô Agglo, Villedieu Intercom, part of Cotentin Bay, West Coast Center Manche and Coutances Mer et Bocage“, summarizes Laurent Pien president of the Mixed Syndicate since the fall of 2020.
It is both a network of waste reception centers, the Saint-Fromond landfill center, an anaerobic digestion plant and a sorting center in Cavigny, near Saint-Lô.
But, the Strong Point is above all one of the most indebted communities in France. It is weighed down by an abysmal debt of 95,4 millions euros, linked to toxic loans. Debt actually doubled after the 2008 financial crisis.
Despite the renegotiation, despite state aid of 41 million euros until 2028, the situation is such that the member communities have increased their contribution by 34% this year and this is reflected, in part, on taxpayers. In Saint-Lô Agglo, for example, the household waste collection tax will increase by 28% this year.
An online petition
In the holy laws, a collective has just been created “for the defense of the public service of the Point Fort Environnement” and a petition has been online since Saturday March 27th. He refuses that it is the taxpayer who pays and asks the State and the banks to put their hands in their pockets to settle this debt.
Anaerobic digestion at a standstill
This critical financial situation is accompanied by major technical problems. The industrial tool of Cavigny, built 12 years ago, is failing. The composting part is inaccessible since the end of 2019: a wall collapsed and doubts remain about the others.
And then the methanizer, which is used to generate electricity from household waste, has been at a standstill since autumn 2020 : there, it is the roof that worries. The garbage is therefore buried currently, which is causing the tax on polluting activities to skyrocket.
What future ? Should the tool be changed? Abandon methanization? Privatize? The new team of elected officials at the head of the mixed union since last fall, is leaving until June to establish a roadmap.
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