We knew we loved France for a reason!
In the medieval town of Peyrestortes, one of 60 towns, horses are now being used to collect recycling and waste from homes and businesses rather than diesel trucks! Mayor Jean Baptiste supports the new trend:
You can’t turn a waste collection vehicle around here. We used to block streets to traffic and keep waste in open skips.” He sold off a dustbin lorry and acquired two Breton carthorses instead. Asked whether the changes are saving money, he says: “It’s too early. But money isn’t the only reason. The exhaust smells have gone, the noise has gone, and instead we have the clip-clop of horses’ hooves.”
The towns are using the horses as a way to raise awareness. In one town, by using a horse to collect garden waste, the amount of composting by residents has risen!
Compared with ├óΓÇÜ┬¼5,000├óΓé¼ΓÇ£7,000 annual running costs for a diesel truck, an ass costs ├óΓÇÜ┬¼1,000├óΓé¼ΓÇ£1,500 and can live 25-30 years. A truck costs around ├óΓÇÜ┬¼25,000, lasts around five years and can’t reproduce.
Green AND clean! What a great combo! Viva la France!
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