A material library to change the recycling paradigm

To put an end to long-term unemployment, public and private players have come together around the "Territoires zéro chômeur de longue durée (TZCLD)" scheme. After a test phase initiated in 2017 around a dozen territories, the program was extended by the legislature at the end of 2020.

Since 2017, the Pontchâteau commune has been committed to the TZCLD project. Its aim is to offer as many people as possible a job adapted to their individual skills, and on a voluntary basis. The Entreprise à but d'emploi (EBE) created, Espacea, welcomed the volunteers, recruited on permanent contracts, according to their order of arrival in the project. Of the first 56 employees, around a third are recognized as disabled workers. Espacea is responsible for adapting the job to the situation of the employees concerned.

Employees to do what? EBE has chosen waste, perceived as a resource, as its field of activity. It has set up a matériauthèque to bring together a wide range of services: recovery and resale of building site materials (tiles, plumbing, wood, wallpaper, screws, tools, hardware, etc.); recovery of building site waste; dismantling of joinery and door and window frames; restoration and sale of old or damaged furniture; creation of furniture from pallets; reuse of textiles to make diverted objects and recovery of haberdashery items. As well as complementary activities: organization of practical workshops for the public (wood, repair), cutting on demand, tool library, etc.

Pragmatic as they are, Espacea's managers have not forgotten to offer traditional services to local residents (garbage and bulky goods collection, odd jobs, bicycle repair, etc.), businesses (vehicle cleaning, for example) and local authorities.