Do the French see the holiday highway as an open-air trash can? According to an Ipsos survey, commissioned by the Vinci Autoroute Foundation, nearly a third of users still throw their waste out of their vehicle window. " Despite the growing place of environmental issues in the public debate, awareness and individual behavior are struggling to progress at the same rate ", regrets the group in a press release published this Friday, June 30, on the occasion of the launch of a awareness campaign.
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Twenty-five tonnes of waste would thus be collected every day by the maintenance agents of the motorway service. According to their statistics, more than 1 in 3 smokers (12% of French people) also admit to getting rid of their cigarette butts by throwing them on the asphalt from their car.
5% of French people have already thrown a mask on public roads
Health crisis requires, protective masks are also appearing in the study. “ Asked about this uncivil, even irresponsible behavior, 5% of French people admit that they have already thrown or lost a mask on the public highway (and up to 11% among those under 25), i.e. equivalent of more than 2 million people compared to the population ”, indicates Vinci.
However, the survey shows a certain intransigence on the part of the population in relation to this type of act of pollution. 64% of French people think “ that their fellow citizens behave in this way because they feel a feeling of impunity or are insensitive to others. They are also 64% to think that the others are not aware of the impact of their gesture ”.
Conversely, the people questioned seem much more indulgent with themselves. “ 82% of French people justify their action by too full of bins or by the absence of bins nearby. 41% admit not wanting to keep the garbage with them to put it in the trash later and 30% think that the taxes they pay must be used for the collection of their litter ”, details the report.