France (FR)
France is a unitary semi-presidential republic and the EU's most visited country, renowned for its world-class cuisine and wine, the iconic City of Light that is Paris, the French Riviera, iconic Alpine ski resorts, and a generous social state offering universal healthcare, extensive family benefits, and strong worker protections.
Recycling & Waste in France
Bin system, bottle deposits, special disposal, and common mistakes.
France has been progressively tightening its recycling rules under the Loi AGEC (Anti-gaspillage et économie circulaire, du 10 février 2020) and the extension des consignes de tri (all plastic packaging now goes in the yellow bin since 2023). Waste is managed by your commune or intercommunalité, and rules vary slightly by territory — but the colour scheme and principles are harmonised nationwide. The Triman logo (since 2022) is mandatory on products subject to tri — Info-Tri specifies which bin each item belongs to. Most communes use bacs (wheelie bins) or PAV (points d'apport volontaire — communal bins), with sorting fines rare in practice but socially enforced at buildings.
The Bin System
Paper & Cardboard / Packaging
YellowBac jaune / Poubelle jaune
- ✓All plastic packaging (bottles, trays, films, pots, tubes) — since 2023 extension of tri
- ✓Cardboard boxes (flattened)
- ✓Paper (newspapers, magazines, prospectus)
- ✓Metal packaging (tin cans, aluminium cans, aerosols empty, trays)
- ✓Briques alimentaires (Tetra Pak)
- ✓Polystyrene packaging
- ✗Food waste — bac vert or compost
- ✗Glass — bac blanc / PAV verre
- ✗Greasy pizza boxes — bac gris (residual)
- ✗Nappies, hygiene products — bac gris
- ✗Non-packaging plastics (toys, buckets) — déchèterie
- ✗Electronics — déchèterie or in-store drop-off
Glass
Green or white (often a separate PAV outside the building)Bac à verre / Colonne à verre
- ✓Glass bottles (wine, oil, vinegar) — remove corks and caps
- ✓Glass jars (confitures, cornichons)
- ✓Glass flacons (without cap)
- ✗Ceramics, porcelain, earthenware — bac gris
- ✗Window glass, mirrors — déchèterie
- ✗Crystal glass, Pyrex, opaline — déchèterie
- ✗Light bulbs, tubes fluo — in-store collection or déchèterie
Organic / Bio Waste
Brown or dark greenBac à biodéchets / Bac brun ou marron
- ✓Épluchures de fruits et légumes
- ✓Marc de café avec filtre papier
- ✓Sachets de thé (sans agrafe)
- ✓Coquilles d'œufs broyées
- ✓Restes de repas (petites quantités)
- ✓Pain rassis
- ✓Fleurs coupées, petits déchets verts
- ✓Essuie-tout non souillé
- ✗Viande et poisson crus en grande quantité — bac gris (attire les nuisibles)
- ✗Huiles et graisses — déchèterie
- ✗Litière pour chat
- ✗Cendres
- ✗Couches et produits d'hygiène
Residual Waste
Grey or dark greyBac gris / Bac noir / Ordures ménagères (OMR)
- ✓Tout ce qui ne va pas ailleurs
- ✓Couches, protections hygiéniques
- ✓Lingettes
- ✓Vaisselle cassée (non verre)
- ✓Litière pour chat
- ✓Sacs d'aspirateur
- ✓Papiers gras, emballages très souillés
- ✗Piles et batteries — bornes magasins ou déchèterie
- ✗Médicaments — pharmacies (Cyclamed)
- ✗Appareils électriques — Éco-systèmes / magasins / déchèterie
- ✗Peinture, solvants, produits dangereux — déchèterie
Consigne verre (4-région pilot since June 2025) + voluntary regional systems — Bottle Deposit System
France does not yet have a nationwide mandatory deposit system for drink containers. However, a significant glass bottle consigne pilot launched on 12 June 2025 across four regions — Normandy, Pays de la Loire, Brittany, and Hauts-de-France (covering around 16 million inhabitants). Eligible glass bottles and jars carry a purple "Rapportez-moi pour réemploi" (Return me for reuse) sticker. The trial runs for 18 months, managed by Citeo, with eight retail chains participating: Coopérative U, Intermarché, Auchan, Carrefour, Monoprix, Biocoop, Leclerc, and La Brasserie du Bout du Monde. If successful, a national rollout is planned (wider rollout expected 2027–2028 under loi AGEC). Outside the trial zones, consigne exists voluntarily for reusable glass bottles in Alsace and parts of the East (Meteor, Karlsbräu), and some craft brewers offer 10–30 cents consigne. Reusable crates at supermarkets sometimes carry a €1.50–3 deposit refunded when returned.
Glass bottle pilot (4 trial regions, from June 2025): €0.10–0.20 per glass bottle or jar depending on format. Other voluntary/regional systems: €0.10–0.30 per glass bottle. Reusable crates/plastic kegs at supermarkets: €1.50–10 deposit. Planned national PET scheme (post-2027): ~€0.15–0.20 per plastic bottle.
For pilot-scheme glass bottles (in the four trial regions): look for the purple "Rapportez-moi pour réemploi" sticker. Return to the self-service checkout or hand to a cashier at any participating supermarket — you do not need to return to the store where you purchased it. Outside the pilot: return glass bottles with consigne markings to the retailer where purchased or to a partnered borne de reprise (Citeo, Lemon Tri, Yoyo). Currently, most French households simply place PET bottles in the bac jaune.
Special Disposal
Déchèterie (free with justificatif de domicile). Also: shops of 400+ m² must take back small electronics for free since 2022, and must take back a same-type device when you buy a new one (reprise 1 pour 1) regardless of size. Éco-organismes: ecosystem.eco, eco-dds.org.
Covers phones, cables, chargers, small and large appliances, lamps, fluorescent tubes. The logo DEEE (poubelle barrée) marks covered devices.
Bornes de collecte (yellow or transparent tubes) in supermarkets, hyper-, bricolage stores, mairies and déchèteries. Never in bac jaune or bac gris.
All types: alkaline, rechargeable, lithium. Tape over lithium battery terminals to prevent short-circuit.
Any pharmacie via the Cyclamed network — unused or expired medicines in their original packaging. DO NOT flush or bin — groundwater contamination.
Sharps (DASRI — Déchets d'activités de soins à risques infectieux): collect in free yellow-lid box from pharmacie, return to pharmacie or déchèterie when full.
Déchèterie. Some communes organise occasional déchets dangereux mobiles collections — check calendrier de collecte.
Paint, solvents, varnish, pesticides, huiles minérales, piles boutons, mercure. Keep in original labelled container.
Bornes Relais, Le Relais, Ecotextile (white with red/green logos) in supermarket car parks and streets. Also: shops with eco-organisme Refashion drop-off. Never in bac jaune or gris.
Washed clothing in closed bags, shoes (tied pairs), linge de maison, sacs, peluches. Even torn items are reused as chiffons or insulation.
Déchèterie (some have dedicated tanks). Some cities collect via bornes (Roule Ma Frite 17, GECCO). Never pour down the drain — clogs and pollutes.
Store in sealed bottle (old plastic bottle works). Will be recycled into biodiesel or soap.
Déchèterie (free, with vehicle pass) or bac brun (small quantities). Burning garden waste is prohibited nationally since 2011 except by mayoral derogation (€450 fine).
Many communes offer a springtime "ramassage sapins de Noël" and autumn leaf collection.
Mairie collection service (bookable by phone or online, usually free 1–4× per year) OR déchèterie direct drop-off. Associations like Emmaüs collect usable items free.
Never leave items on the trottoir outside scheduled collection — dépôt sauvage fine €135–1,500.
Since 1 May 2023 the REP Bâtiment ("filière REP PMCB") provides free drop-off for household DIY debris at participating distributors (Leroy Merlin, Castorama, Brico Dépôt) and déchèteries professionnelles.
Gravats, plâtre, bois, plaques de plâtre. Asbestos requires a registered professional removal.
Bulk Waste
Encombrants (bulky waste) covers furniture, mattresses, large appliances and large objects that do not fit in bins. Two main options: (1) Enlèvement sur rendez-vous — free service from your mairie, bookable online or by phone (up to 3–4 m³). You put the items on the pavement on the morning of collection. (2) Déchèterie — drop off yourself with your vehicle pass (carte déchèterie, free against proof of address). Dépôt sauvage (fly-tipping) is prohibited: €135 fine, up to €1,500 and €75,000 + vehicle confiscation for repeat offenders (article R541-76 and L541-46 Code de l'environnement). Useful furniture: donate to Emmaüs, Le Relais, Envie, or post free on Geev or Donnons.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- ! Leaving food in pots before recycling them — rinse briefly (emballages vides but not forcibly clean per loi AGEC).
- ! Putting glass in the bac jaune — always take to the PAV verre.
- ! Confusing broken dishware (ceramic) with glass — ceramic goes in bac gris.
- ! Tossing small electronics in the bac jaune or gris — illegal, use déchèterie or in-store bin.
- ! Putting couches/lingettes in bac à biodéchets — they are not biodegradable despite some labelling.
- ! Compacting bottles so the cap stays on — since the extension of tri the cap can stay on the bottle (EU directive 2019/904 since 2024).
- ! Burning déchets verts in garden — banned since 2011, €450 fine.
- ! Not separating biodéchets — mandatory since 1 January 2024 for all households under loi AGEC; the commune provides a bac brun, lombricomposteur, or access to a composteur collectif.
Fines & Enforcement
Non-respect of tri rules: €35–135 contravention (article R632-1 Code pénal for small volumes) at syndic level your SDC can withhold collection and issue a rappel through the syndic. Dépôt sauvage: €135 forfait, up to €1,500. Dumping from a vehicle: up to €75,000 + confiscation. Burning déchets verts: €450. Breaking the emballage consigné or tag: €135. In practice, individual households are rarely fined but persistent errors can escalate via your bailleur / syndic to additional charges for re-sorting.
Practical Tips
- → Download Le Guide du Tri app by Citeo (citeo.com) — scan a barcode and it tells you which bac the item goes in. Official tool.
- → Most communes provide an app or calendrier de collecte — Paris uses "Dans Ma Rue"; Lyon "Récup' Lyon"; Bordeaux "Bordeaux Métropole".
- → Obtain your free access card for déchèteries at your mairie or intercommunalité site — bring justificatif de domicile and CNI.
- → Noise rules for PAV verre: some communes prohibit use before 8 AM and after 10 PM or on Sundays — check local arrêté.
- → Biodéchets: mandatory separate collection since 1 January 2024 for ALL households (loi AGEC). If your commune does not yet provide bacs, request a composteur individuel (free in most communes) or join a composteur collectif.
- → Refashion label on textile containers means the operator is approved under the filière REP Textile.
- → Fresque de la consommation and ReDonner, Mano Mano Reseller give a second life to usable items — check them before disposal.