Take out plastic at lunchtime in Avignon schools. Ten schools are concerned. The test will be extended to 57 establishments in January.

It is a decision of the socialist town hall. Ten schools will test a canteen devoid of any plastic object. It will be stainless steel which will replace the criticized material.

After several inconclusive tests with bamboo or other types of alternative to plastic, it is the stainless steel beneficiaries who have won the support of all. Of course, the carts will be heavier but the benefits for children will be there.

New tanks and trucks rented

The experiment has therefore just started in ten schools since September, and there is already talk of extending to 57 schools from January 2022. The municipality had to invest in new adapted ovens. New tanks also had to be purchased, to transport the now heavier dishes.

Two trucks which bring the food back to the central kitchen are now rented every day. Finally, a laundromat also had to be installed.

Endocrine disruptors

It is the parents of students who mobilized in 2019 to demand the end of plastic in canteens. The arguments: the end of the all-disposable and therefore greener gestures for the planet and the fact of getting rid of endocrine disruptors present in the composition of plastic and very problematic for the growth of children.

Avignon is not an isolated municipality when it comes to the fight against plastic pollution. The city of Paris, for example, has set itself the objective of eliminating the material of collective catering by 2026. A plan which should cost the Paris municipality 4.5 million euros.