Experimental restoration of an old dump on Ouessant Island

, Pouline Patrick, Gaelig Batail, Neollier Marie Amélie.

For about 70 years, a site near the cliff at the tip of B̈ougeo Ar Pebrön the island of Ushant is used as a public dump. Located near the sea, the accumulated waste is regularly mobilized by storms and high tides. Over time, the site has become unstable. Without quick intervention, 8000 m3 of waste and rubble could have been dispersed in the waters of the Marine Natural Park and the Iroise National Nature Reserve. The Iroise Marine Natural Park (OFB) has therefore carried out this work from November 2021 to June 2022. The environmental benefit is important: - stopping the spread of waste in the marine environment ; - removal of waste having long and continuous negative impacts on both habitats and species, especially plastic; - restoring the ecological and landscape integrity oh the site; This operation was entirely included in the « France Relance » plan for a total cost of 2.5 millions euros. In total, 735 tons of waste (mainly metals and plastics) were excavated and treated. Since September 2022, the renaturation and protection of the site after construction begin. The 1500 m3 of rocks and pebbles extracted and the soil from the sorting will be used to re-profile and secure the site. In order to give an account of the difficulties encountered and the results obtained, the experiences gathered during this work site will be shared through the creation of materials whose restitution is planned for early 2023. With the rise of the sea level and the will to clean up the old coastal dumps, the experimental character of this project gives us the opportunity to transmit useful experience feedback to communities facing similar problems.

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