The "Packaging Point" sorting centre

Point E is a registered environmental facility, a centre where packaging from the Market is sorted and recycled, strictly regulated by a Prefectural decree defining the type of waste authorized and the instructions to follow with regard to air, water and safety issues.

Only packaging free of specific fermenting animal, food or plant matter is accepted.

Only pre-sorted packaging (wood, cardboard, plastic) from goods purchased at the Rungis market is allowed.

The site operator is in charge of receiving users, controlling input, sorting and processing any packaging deposited. It vouches for the smooth running of the site and is liable for the site with regard to the authorities.

The only products accepted at "E point" are used packaging made up of pallets and wooden crates, to be deposited under the canopy to the left of the entrance), with cardboard and plastic packaging deposited under the canopy over the sorting line on the right.

Packaging Point activity report

Out of the 30,000 tons of packaging dropped of at "E Point", 8,800 tons are A5-type cardboard (corrugated non-Kraft, known as "strawboard"). These cartons are sent to paper mills, where they are reduced to pulp, cleaned then converted to papermaking pulp, usually to produce new packaging.

The blue and red pallets are returned to their respective owners and the others are put back into circulation if they are still in good condition or repairable (2,000 tons). If not, they are crushed with wooden racks and crates and recycled into particle boards (chipboard) or used for industrial furnaces, for a volume of about 6,000 tons.

The recovery of wooden crates is essentially a seasonal activity, responding to local demand; only crates in good condition, with no printing, are reused, which explains the low tonnage (120 tons).

The plastic collected for recycling is essentially made up of clean stretch covers and used plastic crates; they are baled (144 tons) and later used to make other plastic products (stakes, fences, refuse bins, fibres for clothing, etc.). The recycled tonnage remains low in relation to the supply potential.

Recycling rejects represent about 13,000 tons per annum. For the most part, this consists of dirty cardboard or plastic, food remnants, packaging made of composite, non-recyclable materials and over-packaging.

The amount of non compliant waste deposited has dropped sharply since Semmaris launched several awareness-building operations as of September 2007.

The short-term objective is to improve the current recycling rate, moving from 56% to over 63% per annum .

Waste treatment sector (Market tonnage 2007)

Packaging point (E point)