Clean River Initiative, a Béziers association that collects waste from the Orb

Johan et ses amis ont du mal à trouver des déchetteries pour jeter ce qu’ils ramassent. – Sébastien Houssin

Créée par le Biterrois Johan Roussel il y a peu, l’association se développe dans le Biterrois.

The Clean River Initiative association was created a few months ago with the aim of cleaning the Occitan rivers of the waste that pollutes them. The Orb is currently the main place of action of this group founded by Johan Roussel.

“I am a recreational fisherman, mainly in fresh water,” he says. Wherever I went, it was always the same observation: it’s dirty. During each of my fishing sessions, I always took a bag or a bucket to collect the waste. I found myself in a spiral that meant that I saw that it was everywhere. The day I decided that something really had to be done, I was on the Aude River, between Fleury and Lespignan. There were astronomical quantities of polystyrene floating and gradually going into the sea. I told myself that I needed a helping hand to clean it up. The association was born like that, on a whim”.

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The name Clean River Initiative also came spontaneously. It brings together a core group of friends around Béziers, although the head office is in Aude. The group's objectives are threefold: to organize collection sessions, to raise awareness via social networks thanks to videos on YouTube, among other things, and to educate with the aim of working with children in schools. “Beyond the environmental aspect, there is the health aspect. Today, there is plastic everywhere. Even those who want to take care of their health constantly ingest it”, emphasizes Johan Roussel.

What to do with waste ?

Awareness can be raised directly during clean-up campaigns, during meetings. These operations require a lot of organization on the part of the team. “As I walk in nature, I collect the small pieces of waste that I find. At the same time, I do some prospecting to identify the biggest piles. We come back together to take care of them”.

This Sisyphean work comes up against a real problem. “The main difficulty today is what we do with the waste. The small ones can be thrown in the trash. But for the bulkier ones, it depends on the recycling centers. Some accept us, but not all. Most do not take tires or gas bottles, which are most easily found in nature. We try to make arrangements with the town halls, this requires a lot of preparation work in advance.” The association is still in its early stages but intends to expand throughout Occitanie. Beyond rivers, it wants to take care of roadsides – where most of the waste comes from – and coastlines, where it all ends up.

For more information: https://www.facebook.com/people/Clean-River-Initiative/61567763806698/