OGD sorts and recycles an abandoned worksite waste disposal site
A local group is mobilised to tackle this vast site
Huge amounts of rubbish and figures that speak for themselves: over 25,000 cubic metres of waste have accumulated at the former site of a waste disposal company in Bassens, in the Gironde region of France.
Defined as an “open landfill site”, the company filed for bankruptcy in 2014. Since then, 14,000 tonnes of rubbish have remained at the site. That was until ADEME got involved: following a request from the government, the company took charge of the project, calling upon three local companies to carry out a “clean-up” operation.
And so the OGD agency in Bordeaux embarked on this major project along with two other companies – Guyenne Environnement and Azura. The group worked on this orphaned site from last January to August to achieve the stated objectives: sorting, collecting and recycling.
Olivier Tanguy, Business Manager for the OGD Bordeaux agency, was appointed head of the consortium. Accustomed to carrying out decontamination activities on a daily basis and to juggling several projects at once, Tanguy’s main role for the ADEME project is to coordinate the teams on the ground while managing the financial aspects. Working in collaboration with two well-known local companies – Guyenne Environnement and Azura – the OGD agency is tasked with removing all the waste which is spread over two hectares.
Recycling the collected waste: a skill for the long term
Although the Ortec Group agency was chosen for its engineering skills, it also took up the challenge of thoroughly sorting the waste and implementing an ambitious waste recycling system. Rather than just being disposed of, 100% of the waste from this abandoned landfill site is sorted on site and over 50% of the waste is recycled. What’s the outcome? Wood, rubble, scrap metal, paper, rigid plastics, etc. The rubble is reused as base layers for road construction while other waste is transported to appropriate disposal centres. Approximately 150 tonnes of waste are given a new lease of life on a daily basis by the group’s professionals. Based on the principle of Circular Economy, field experts have turned this waste back into raw materials.
For OGD, this project with which it was entrusted by ADEME, has enabled the on-site teams to get involved on a more local level, and to fulfil the expectations of a such a prominent customer as ADEME. If the old site of Editrans had remained as it was, the risk of waste accumulation, fire or soil pollution would have increased. The city of Bassens would have suffered from the situation because such a huge amount of waste would certainly have impeded, if not prevented, any activity or commercial development of the industrial area in which it is located.
The consortium formed by Guyenne Environnement, Azura and OGD has constantly proven its worth. Under the leadership of Account Manager, Olivier Tanguy, the project is still ongoing and is set to be completed by the end of August. The magnitude of the work at Bassens is not preventing the prospect of a renaissance or development of the area. Target: zero waste? Once again, for OGD, this mission must be fully accomplished.
OGD Bordeaux:
The OGD agency in Bordeaux has many skills and just as many experts engaged in the field: environmental engineering, industrial cleaning, dismantling, targeted decontamination, water treatment and rehabilitation, the trades of this Ortec Group subsidiary are extremely diverse. Thanks to the ADEME project, the OGD agency has strengthened its expertise in treating industrial waste (collection, recycling and re-use) and carries out in-depth work on a daily basis. The agency’s experts remain mobilised under the supervision of Sector Head, Olivier Tanguy, ready to reach their sorting and recycling objectives. Opened in 2013, the OGD agency in Bordeaux currently consists of a team of 8 people (site managers, design engineers and project managers) and has become a recognised local player with, in particular, the award of two framework decontamination contracts in four years by Bordeaux Métropole local authorities and EPA Euratlantique (local planning authorities).
