In just ten minutes, his landing net already has a plastic bottle and many cigarette butts.
"I do not understand how we can get there", sighs Antoine, 36, one of the volunteers of the "Exhaust your waste" operation, organized by the environmental association Écho Mer in La Rochelle (Charente-Maritime) , in partnership with the marina.
Like a dozen other people, the young man armed himself with a landing net to pick up the floating waste on the surface of the Old Port of the seaside resort.
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On Thursday and Friday, at 4 p.m., the teams of volunteers meet for this depollution mission sponsored by the sailor Yannick Bestaven, winner of the last Vendée Globe.
Every week, the landing nets are always full.
“It's both motivating because you feel useful but it's also quite demoralizing.
Admittedly, people do not throw their cigarette ends or their packaging directly into the port, this usually happens with the wind.
I invite everyone to come and help us, it's within everyone's reach, ”suggests Anthony, 51 years old.
About a hundred volunteers take part in these collections.
“We are lucky to have a lot of volunteers, we even opened a new slot on Saturdays at 10 am.
It must be said that with the masks, the terraces on the quayside and the frequentation of the port which increases with the beautiful days, there is a lot of waste.
To participate, we ask to join our association ”, explains Laure Simon, project manager at Écho Mer.
Eco-citizen walks in the port
For tourists or curious Rochelais - from 7 years old - eco-citizen walks of an hour and a half are offered free of charge during the summer season, on Friday at the end of the day.
Still in partnership with the La Rochelle marina, these walks are intended to alert participants to pollution and the impact of our way of life on the ports, while retracing the history of the city's port.
Reservations are required and strongly recommended for this highly successful activity.
The next meetings are given for July 9 and 23, August 6 and 20, September 3 and 17, October 1 and 15.
For more information:
https://echo-mer.com
