On Thursday, September 24, elected officials and agents from the Communauté de communes des Versants d’Aime traveled to Chambéry to visit the new Savoie Déchets sorting center and learn about the different stages of waste treatment and recovery. Savoie Déchets is the inter-municipal syndicate responsible for waste treatment on behalf of the Communauté de communes des Versants d’Aime, as well as 12 other local authorities in the Alpine region.
In 2025, the waste production ratio was 189 kg per inhabitant (from Versants d’Aime), a decrease of 1.3% compared to 2024. It is noted that 70% of the waste in a bin can be recycled.
At Savoie Déchets, energy and material recovery occurs across two sites. The sorting center separates items from the yellow bin by material to direct them to recycling channels. The sale of these materials generated revenue of €52,000 in 2025 for the community. The energy recovery plant incinerates waste from the black bin to produce electricity and heat for the urban heating network of Chambéry.
Regarding organic waste, three composting platforms are managed by Savoie Déchets in the department, including one at the waste disposal site in Le Praz, Valezan. Food waste and green waste are treated locally to be transformed into compost, thereby significantly reducing the carbon footprint of their transport. Biodegradable waste collection points are easily accessible in the villages.
Accepted food waste includes peels, meal leftovers (even meat and fish), past-date dairy products, coffee grounds, and filters. Packaging, glass, and cardboard should not be deposited here. A map of collection points is available online.
This visit is considered particularly useful for new elected officials and agents, as a better understanding of waste management allows for a better grasp of the challenges related to sorting and recovery. It is remembered that the best waste is the waste that is not produced or can be reused.
