Despite his rounded glasses and his mask which covers a good part of his face, his good nature shows through.
Ludovic is one of those with whom the first contact is extremely simple.
The man says what he thinks, always frankly, often with a smile.
Certainly what appeals to his community.
Because Ludovic is not a garbage collector like the others.
He is certainly the agent in the green pants and the fluorescent yellow waistcoat in Paris.
A rising star of TikTok, today's favorite social network of the new generation.
To the point of being recognized when he sweeps through the heart of the capital.
It all started in mid-2019.
The one who was then ripper sees an advertisement for the fashionable application.
“I had fun making a video of my work and sharing it on TikTok.
It has been viewed 345,000 times.
“Immediately, the power of this social network is obvious to this nature lover.
Who sees it as an unsuspected opportunity to pass on his messages, between respect for the environment and respect for his profession.
Ludovic multiplies the videos, under the name "ludovicf_off".
Everything gets carried away in mid-2020, when he discovers the possibility of directing to gain visibility.
Its number of subscribers is climbing: 48,000 now.
The organization is now well established.
“Before each start of service, at 11 am, I make a direct for my subscribers.
I tell them about my daily life.
Then I go out into the street to do my job.
»And his videos.
That Thursday, his mission first sent him to the Fountain of Innocents.
At his side, his colleague Elie looks at “the phenomenon of the moment” with enthusiasm.
“Ludovic shows the reality of our profession, it's important.
"
"Citizenship and common sense"
The reality is this incessant work caused by the incivility of many Parisians, very comfortable at the idea of leaving their waste anywhere.
"It's even more true at the moment, with the restaurants closed," groans Ludovic.
At lunchtime, everyone has take-out meals.
The bins are quickly filled.
So many do not hesitate to leave their bag of food in the middle of the street.
"
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When the situation is worth it, Ludovic draws his phone.
He takes a photo of the place before his intervention, films himself during, and snaps a last shot once the work is finished.
When the day is over, it's time to edit the video.
“About twenty minutes of work.
"
Often with a touch of humor, they make people understand the importance of the task of garbage collectors and point out everyday actions that everyone could adopt to improve the situation.
“Good citizenship and common sense, that's all.
"
His notoriety, a beautiful revenge on life
It must be said that the 45-year-old man has been sensitive to the environmental cause since childhood.
“As a child, I used to pick up my parents' cigarette butts and ask them why they were doing this.
I pruned and cleaned the rose bushes.
I was running after the papers in the street.
"
However, it's only four years since Ludovic has been a garbage collector.
“I had this vocation quite late.
I also had a somewhat complicated life course… ”he explains, without really wanting to tell more.
We just understand that his notoriety is a great revenge on life.
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A notoriety that it is still struggling to achieve.
"Hello, do you have TikTok?"
He asks a group of teenagers during their lunch break.
"Of course, you are Ludovic, I saw you on the Internet," replied one of them.
“That's what you are doing.
We must make our generation aware of the environment.
It's a superb approach, ”adds another.
Enough to bring up tears in the eyes of the person concerned, it must be said, fairly sensitive boy.
“In these moments, I tell myself that I won.
"
But prejudices die hard.
He knows his profession is still devalued.
"The classic teachers' phrase,
If you don't work you'll end up as a garbage collector,
hurts the heart."
We have Bac + 2 or Bac + 5. You have to pass a competitive examination to become an agent of the City of Paris.
"
Its missions, above all, go beyond what we imagine.
The garbage collectors act as the first lookouts, quick to bring up any useful information.
In a video, we see Ludovic picking up what he first thinks to be a simple pile of rubble, before realizing that the wall of a building is crumbling and that stones threaten.
So Ludovic is determined.
“I have to continue.
I'll never have enough of a lifetime to get my messages across.
"
"Without the garbage collectors, our city does not run"
The enthusiasm around Ludovic returned to the ears of Colombe Brossel, deputy mayor of Paris in charge of Cleanliness who is delighted.
Colombe Brossel, Deputy mayor of Paris in charge of the cleanliness of public spaces, waste sorting and reduction, recycling and reuse. / LP / Delphine Goldsztejn
How did you react when you learned of Ludovic's initiative?
Colombe Brossel.
Spontaneously, I said to myself one thing: “This is great!
Ludovic has a real mission to raise awareness of respect for the environment.
In town hall, we try to convey the same messages as him, but in a necessarily institutional way.
We don't do 600,000 views on TikTok.
His message also aims to promote the profession of garbage collector.
Is it still a necessity?
Our agents had been very touched by the thank you messages received during the first confinement.
The Parisians had realized their usefulness.
But very quickly, this benevolence disappeared.
They tell me that it is difficult for them to feel invisible, when they have everything to be visible.
We must understand that without their presence, our city does not turn.
It is not for nothing that it is the most important service in the City of Paris, since there are 6,900 garbage collectors.
So what is the reality of this profession?
It is a profession with skills and actions that can be learned.
Vacuuming your home is not the same as cleaning a city.
If everyone understood it, we would no longer hear these thoughts: “They could well have done that…” It is also a varied profession, where one has to perform several tasks.
And where you can evolve, within management for example, to become a supervisor, which is a common path.
There is also the possibility of changing the service.
But it is rarer, simply because the agents of the cleaning service have a deep attachment to him.
