The sorting activity is a devalued job and yet this misunderstood recovery profession is essential. It actively contributes to the preservation of the environment.
Marguerite Abadie has been an agent for more than 13 years within the SMTD65 (mixed waste treatment union) of Capvern, which collects waste from the entire department. She is passionate regarding her profession which is of public utility.
Marguerite ensures the verification and dispatching of the waste that passes on the conveyor (conveyor belt running at high speed). You should know that it is the forklift operators, in-house, who feed the belts and who ensure the baling and its feeding.
It is thus one of the very first links in the recycling chain. It takes care to properly isolate recoverable waste from non-recoverable waste. Then, it allocates the waste in the reserved circuit according to its nature and its quality.
Throughout the process, she monitors the sorting chain and warns her superiors of any malfunction. This job requires autonomy, dexterity, speed and a taste for teamwork. It involves a minimum knowledge of waste and strict compliance with health, safety and environmental instructions. Working conditions can be difficult (prolonged standing, foul odors and constant attention).
Marguerite tells us: “That users must urgently be made aware as soon as they throw away an object. They must check that the containers are indeed empty and that they are dangerous. You should know that these unemptied bottles are refused directly then this refusal goes via other sites such as Toulouse or others. Which generates a non-negligible cost (such as transport, recycling, etc.) Whereas it would be easier to do it upstream. Awareness is needed users in their sorting, it becomes urgent.”
A statement of horror and edifying by the diversity of objects of all kinds such as syringes, dangerous products, bottles of hydrochloric acid or gas, one of which exploded recently. But the worst is yet to come live and dead animals like kittens, animal heads, guts, human excrement are part of their daily life at the Capvern sorting centre.
Rappel :
Stings with various dangerous objects such as syringes, involve significant medical monitoring at the agent (blood test at D + 1 and 3 months later to monitor if the agent is not contaminated) and consequences for the employer who finances him and can potentially see agents go on sick leave (puncture or injury with sharp/cutting objects).
A word for the end:
“Many people make fun of this work with jokes and other clichés, but for me this work is rewarding, because we are part of what makes our municipalities clean. There have been great efforts made for our well- be within the structure and more are to come.”
