Sustainable development

The gray trash bin is intended to receive waste that has not been sorted.

If you have doubts about waste, put it in the gray trash bin because it is essentiel to not « pollute » the yellow trash bin.  

Plastic packaging leads to frequent sorting errors, even by attentive sorters. Sorbonne University has therefore decided to simplify the rules for sorting so that users can stop wondering. And we can expect people to sort more systematically because they are more confident: all packaging should be put in the yellow bin, whatever the material!

Waste processing centres have been upgraded and equipped with machines that enable refined sorting (optical sorting, in particular, distinguish several types of plastic).

If you are in a Crous restaurant hosted by the university, the sorting instructions are those given by the Crous de Paris manager.

If you are in another restaurant (INSPÉ Molitor, INSPÉ Batignolles, INSPÉ Malesherbes and the three Pierre et Marie Curie campus restaurants), the sorting instructions are those given by the company Les Alchimistes, which collects bio-waste and turns it into compost.

Outside the university restaurants, your food waste must be thrown in the grey bins - or "other waste" bins - set up in Sorbonne university campuses.

First of all, you need to know whether your campus or building has a glass sorting system. If so, you should follow the instructions provided by the campus or building manager (see glass sorting instructions communicated locally). If this is not the case, please contact the reception staff, who will be able to tell you what to do.

First of all, you need to know whether your campus or building has a sorting system for cardboard packaging. If this is the case, you should follow the instructions provided by the manager of your campus or building (see the instructions for sorting cardboard packaging provided locally). If this is not the case, please contact the reception staff, who will be able to tell you what to do.

First of all, you need to find out whether your campus or building has a system for sorting electrical and electronic equipment waste. If this is the case, you should follow the instructions provided by your campus or building manager (see sorting instructions provided locally). If this is not the case, please contact the reception staff, who will be able to tell you what to do.

First of all, you need to know whether your campus or building has an iron and scrap metal sorting system. If so, follow the instructions provided by your campus or building manager (see food packaging sorting instructions communicated locally). If this is not the case, please contact the reception staff who will be able to advise you on the procedure to follow.

You can send your request for information by email, in French to:

Faculty of Arts and Humanities
Building and Logistics Department:
rui.leite_ferreira@sorbonne-universite.fr

Faculty of Health Sciences
Technical and use Department
rui.leite_ferreira@sorbonne-universite.fr

Faculty of Science and Engineering
Maintenance and Logistics Department
Sciences-DLM@sorbonne-universite.fr

Incorrectly sorted waste can present a health and safety risk for the staff working on the sorting lines. This is the case for broken glass or some toxic materials and hygienic objects which have no place on sorting lines.

Tissues, wipes, masks and gloves can present a risk of contamination. They are not recyclable and should not be disposed of in the packaging and paper bin. They belong in the grey bin.

For more information : https://bricoleurpro.ouest-france.fr/dossier-1991-tri-selectif-erreurs-pas-faire.html  et https://www.citeo.com/le-mag/ou-jeter-les-masques-mouchoirs-lingettes-et-gants/

LSorbonne University yellow bins are used to collect packaging and paper waste that can be recycled.
Recyclable waste is collected separately from other trash. In sorting centers recyclabe waste is separated by material and prepared for recycling and packaged in bales of material. The bales are then transferred to recycling plants to be transformed into new products.

- Clear plastic bottles are recycled into new bottles or into fleece or padding fibres;
- Opaque plastic bottles and flasks are used to make new plastic objects, such as flower pots and watering cans;
- Paper, newspapers and magazines are recycled into newsprint;
- Cardboard packaging is recycled into new cardboard packaging;
- Food bricks are used to produce hygiene paper and plastic objects;
- Steel packaging is used to manufacture new packaging or metal objects;
- Aluminum packaging is used to produce aluminum parts and objects.

Source : https://www.syctom-paris.fr/traitement-et-valorisation-des-dechets/parcours-des-dechets.html

Sorbonne University grey bins are used to collect waste that cannot be recycled and/or has not been sorted.  
The waste collected is sent to a waste-to-energy plant for incineration.

The electricity produced is used to meet the plant's needs, and any surplus is sold to EDF. The steam produced is used to heat buildings connected to district heating networks, such as the Sorbonne University sites in Paris, which benefit from district heating via the Compagnie parisienne de chauffage urbain (CPCU).

Source : https://www.syctom-paris.fr/traitement-et-valorisation-des-dechets/parcours-des-dechets.html

Article L. 541-1-1 of the French Environment Code defines biowaste as: "Biodegradable non-hazardous garden or park waste, food or kitchen waste from households, offices, restaurants, wholesale trade, canteens, caterers or retail outlets, as well as comparable waste from food processing plants." 

Since September 1, 2022, food waste from six Sorbonne University restaurants has been collected by the company Les Alchimistes. Instead of being incinerated, this biowaste is deposited in composters and transformed into compost that can be used for market gardening, to create a green roof or to produce flowers.

See also question 4 above. My daily routine: « Where do I dispose of food waste?"

"Triman" is the pictogram indicating that a product must be sorted or returned to a collection point.

The "crossed-out wheeled garbage bin" is a pictogram displayed on electrical and electronic products, batteries and accumulators. It indicates that they must be collected separately in accordance with current regulations.

The "Tidy man" is a pictogram designed solely to encourage consumers to dispose of product packaging after consumption. It has no connection with the ecological characteristics of the product.

The "Möbius ring" on a package means that the product or packaging is potentially recyclable. Potentially, because it gives no indication of the packaging's composition. The twist: if a percentage is indicated in its center, it shows the proportion of recycled material used in the product. Two different meanings (recyclable or made from recycled materials) make this logo difficult to understand.

Contrary to popular belief, the green dot does not mean that a product is recyclable. It merely indicates that the manufacturer has made a contribution to a waste management organization. No guarantee that the product has been recycled or is recyclable.

The French Agency for Ecological Transition (ADEME) offers a wide range of free tools, resources and educational programs. If you'd like to check that you're complying with sorting instructions, you can try out their simulator : https://quefairedemesdechets.ademe.fr/

CITEO, a private, not-for-profit company specializing in the recycling of household packaging and graphic paper, has developed a sorting application. Geolocate yourself or enter the name of your town to find out the sorting instructions for your area : https://www.triercestdonner.fr/guide-du-tri

The City of Paris has published a guide entitled "Frequently asked questions about sorting household packaging". In it, you'll find all the answers on "where to throw away" and "how to sort your waste" according to its category (in French):

https://cdn.paris.fr/paris/2020/05/28/b708f5c0475f96511880ceae560181dd.pdf