It took four trucks to move everything. Despite the success of its free operation organized in September, La Belle Déchette still had a lot of things to do. Founded in Rennes in 2017, this small recycling plant has become big. Too big even for its premises in the south-east industrial zone. This Saturday, the association will open its new reuse base at the Halles en commune site, in the former EuroShelter premises in La Courrouze. From 1 p.m., it will welcome the public to its 300 m² sales area. A shed where there is a mix of old crockery, antique furniture and second-hand toys which are sold at low prices. “There is everything here, it’s a real Ali Baba’s cave,” says Julie Orhant, founder and director of La Belle Déchette.
To make the place more welcoming, its teams rolled out the most kitsch tapestry they had, offering a timeless patchwork of wallpaper. By moving here, the association has doubled its surface area and will have to find the necessary resources to continue its reuse activity, which allows it to process more than 100 tonnes of objects per year. “We are not a recycling center. Our desire is not to throw away but to find a new use. Depositing your belongings in a resource center is a commitment for people. I call on them to come here and tell them: don’t go to the recycling center. Here, we create value and jobs,” continues the founder. The ambition is clear: increase the deposit by 30% within three years without increasing prices. “We are placing ourselves at a third or even a quarter of the new price. We don’t have the ambition to become a place reserved for wealthy people.”
DIY workshops coming soon
To drop off their used goods, individuals must now make an appointment online, in order to be “welcome” on this new site. What can they bring back? “Anything that can be reused. Afterwards, there is no point in bringing back your chipped dishes, because no one will want to buy them. It’s the same thing for furniture. We prefer things made of solid wood, which can be transformed. We don’t really like Ikea furniture. When we dismantle them once, we see that they are not durable,” recognizes Julie Orhant.
Located in the middle of the thriving district of La Courrouze, the structure is now next to L’Équipière, a second-hand store dedicated to sports. It is within this new center dedicated to the social and solidarity economy that La Belle Déchette will soon offer DIY, training and reuse workshops. A boon for local residents who want to DIY but often have neither the equipment nor the space to do so.