What is Bandiat Recycling? :
It is a non-profit association under the 1901 law whose main activity (reuse) is recognized as being of general interest. In this context, financial donations entitle you to a tax reduction of 66% of the total amount paid (within the limit of 20% of taxable income). The association is not subject to VAT.
Who makes up the association?
The association was created in December 2022 by half a dozen motivated and qualified local residents, aged 35 to 70, who gave several months or even years of full-time volunteering to launch this structure.
In 2023, it brought together more than a hundred members and around twenty regular volunteers in just a few months.
It was able to create two first salaried valorist positions in March 2024 and is preparing for strong growth in the coming years, giving hope for:
- the creation of new activities, – new salaried positions,
- even more space
- ever more involvement of dynamic and competent volunteers.
In what territory does it operate?
Each recycling/resource center (the two terms are synonymous) has a territory of intervention often delimited by the presence of its neighbors. It is customary for each community of municipalities to have one. La Recyclerie du Bandiat is therefore only located in the territory of Périgord Nontronnais, just like Le Tri-cycle Enchanté en Dronne et Belle, La Récréathiv’ for Périgord Limousin, and Ça Circule for western Limousin (87).
The recycling centers/resource centers are federated within the National Network of Recycleries/Ressourceries but also through the Renaître network (New Aquitaine network bringing together more than a hundred structures) which provides legal, administrative, and technical support to its members.
How does Bandiat recycling contribute to regional development?
La Recyclerie du Bandiat is the first player in the circular economy in the region. Through its role in redistributing resources, it creates links with the population, associations and communities.
It can also provide training in reuse (valorists), supporting the charitable sector (logistical assistance, professionalization of practices) or recycling center agents, if necessary.
Finally, her role in raising environmental awareness on the issue of waste, leading to visits, debates, events and various actions, also places her as an actor in popular education, campaigning for more responsible and sustainable behavior in resource management.
What does Recyclerie du Bandiat do?
The association ensures the collection, clearance, and recovery of reusable objects and furniture in order to limit waste, avoiding tons of waste.
It sells them at free and conscious prices or at low prices (one third of new) to encourage their recirculation, and allow the entire population to benefit from these local resources.
Occasionally, she can intervene at events or with schools with environmental awareness actions or activities on the theme of waste management.
Where do the objects and furniture reused by the association come from?
Recycling is mandated by individual taxpayers in the area to recover, sort, reuse or recycle the goods they want to get rid of, without throwing them away. It can also work with associations or local authorities, and occasionally, for its own development needs, it can collect materials from local professionals.
Here is the list of shelving offered in store:
Furniture, household appliances, textiles (clothing, shoes, leather goods, linen), crockery, books, music and film media, hygiene and paramedical, stationery, pets, games, toys, decoration, trinkets, jewelry, childcare, IT, hi-fi, lighting, DIY, gardening, sports and leisure, materials and sanitation, some bicycles.
How does recycling help us save on waste?
In addition to the majority of reusable objects and furniture as is, the association promotes what can be reused through cleaning and repair. Thus, the carpentry workshop repairs and restores, but also dismantles and inventories hardware and pieces of wood, to create and repair again. The association would like to meet competent volunteers to be able to launch repair workshops for sewing, bicycles, household appliances, etc.
It conscientiously sorts and dismantles each object at the end of its life, up to its recycling channel, the treatment of which is ensured by the SMCTOM or a private eco-organization. Thanks to the quality of the donations provided by users, and the passionate work of the recyclers, the association reuses around 90% of what reaches it.
How busy is the recycling center?
On average since its opening, the recycling center receives approximately:
- one to two vans of collected furniture,
- around twenty residents’ deposits,
- around a hundred visitors.
It tends to account for incoming and outgoing flows, both of visitors and tons of objects, by setting up tools allowing the measurement of these statistics, in order to produce precise and transparent annual accounts.
What do the resources received by the association (mainly from reuse sales) finance?
They are used to regulate:
- the association’s fixed costs (rent, subscriptions, insurance, salaries, etc.),
- consumables (gas, gasoline, food, administrative, recovery, vehicle maintenance, etc.)
- material investments (tools, safety equipment, vehicles, etc.)
- communication supports
- training and/or interprofessional meetings.