"It should
n't be seen
" ... This is the motto of the garbage collectors, the shadow workers of the Cannes festival.
They do not sign autographs, drink little champagne and rarely climb the stairs despite a physical Rambo for some: during the festival, the city officials perform exploits to manage the large surplus of garbage.
“
The return of the festival is always a challenge.
(...) Our work must be done almost without being seen, us and the garbage, we have to go very quickly
”, philosophically sums up Lakhdar Drafi, 27 years in the collection and almost as many Cannes festivals in his active.
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For eleven days, he goes on for hours in fluorescent yellow outfit, slaloming behind the dumpster in "
the rush of the Croisette
", escorted at times by the police in the suddenly very dense traffic generated by the influx of festival-goers - around 40,000 in normal times, probably less this year for this edition still marked by the Covid-19 pandemic.
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In the offices of the agglomeration of Cannes Lérins, Michel Tani, director general of services calculates: over 11 days, agents collect around 1,354 tonnes of waste and the festival adds around 840, especially in glass bins where more than double empty bottles are piling up. Everything combined, glass, packaging, household waste, the great meeting place for moviegoers around the world produces "
the equivalent of 42 additional garbage semi-trailers or 120 containers in single file
", he says. .
For the staff, the intensity of the work is doubled, holidays are not authorized.
The usual battalion of 200 pickers, sweepers or drivers of trucks and cleaning machines are added a reinforcement of seasonal workers, and trucks are also hired.
For beach restaurants, trash cans are no longer collected twice, but three times a day.
Tours on foot or by scooter are added to avoid traffic jams and the evacuation of containers at the foot of large hotels is regulated to the nearest quarter of an hour.
The reward: climbing the stairs
It is also often necessary to correct the situation. "
Often, it's not even that it overflows, but people, instead of opening the bin, leave it next to not bother or not to touch the bin,
" continues the 46-year-old shipper, also witness to the excess of the festival, its elegance and deluge of luxury. If no treasure has ever appeared from the bins, it is not uncommon to come across packaging as beautiful as its contents: "
When you see 3,000 euros marked on the shoebox, you want to keep it even if there are no more shoes in it!
"
Got up around 3:30 am, he also has to drive away the revelers who pretend to play acrobats behind the dumpster:"
You say: "no, sir, you don't have the right"
"Says Lakhdar Drafi, who has already heard the answer:"
Yes, come on, I'll give 50 euros!
"
The cleaner in a way likes this period of the Festival when he feels useful:"
The atmosphere is really different. I like to work hard.
"The director of the cleaning teams, Christophe Gerbier, is aware of the efforts required of the men and women he coordinates:"
They like it, but it shouldn't last three weeks. After two weeks, they are rinsed !. This year, our concern is to have double fire, holidaymakers and festival-goers at the same time, this is a first
”.
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At the waste reception center, when the men come home to change, an unofficial competition without a gold palm is improvised between colleagues, "
a small challenge between us
", according to Lakhdar Drafi, which consists in comparing the tonnage raised by each. Then he adds: “
We work overtime so, for those who are volunteers, we earn a little more.
These efforts sometimes pay off. He knows that sometimes he will be able to get unhappy either with places for screenings that he uses or gives to his children.
These bonuses are a sort of Grail for this man in the shadows at useful but thankless work. And he remembers himself having been able to climb, like the stars, the famous Cannes steps: “
The last time was four years ago. It pleased me to go to the other side. I had climbed the stairs with my wife, not in a yellow vest, nor in a tuxedo, but well dressed anyway and my wife enjoyed the climb more than the film!
"
