In the hand, at the wheel of a tractor, near the summer, the Syndicate intercommunion does Dunes of Flanders (SIDF) applies to orchestrate the cleaning of the beaches of Bray-Dunes, Dunkirk, etc.. In summer, ballet of agents is growing to treat the coastline. The point of the device.
Evacuate with shovels
The mechanical cleaning of the beaches intervenes on the top of the dikes and on certain parts of the foreshore: “We work only in the urbanized zones, on a significant time slot, from 6 am to 9 pm. This allows to cover the different times of the day, Karl, technical adviser on the cleanliness of the beaches at the SIDF. The activity is more intense in summer, from 6 am to 11 am, two agricultural tractors pass in the four communes. These devices make it possible to plug holes and stable gaming platforms. The washing of dikes and the collection of baskets occurs several times during the day. “The afternoon team crosses the dike with an electric vehicle, at the appropriate size for the walking area. We try to be present according to the weather. Sometimes a passage is not enough. This was the case throughout the month of July, overflowing with vacationers.
Yellow reflective vest on the back, garbage bag and clip in hand, it is at dawn that the ballet cleaners start on the stretch of sand stretching from Dunkirk to Bray-Dunes. The vest with reflective tapes can protect them to increase visibility at night. Before, during and after the season, the SIDF organizes a manual pick-up on the areas polluted by the marine discharges and the dune space, fragile places, less accessible by the machines. A mission delegated to the association: “Between June 1 and September 30, a team of six people in professional reintegration ensures this task, says Christophe, director general of union services. They also intervene at crucial moments, during a large influx, as is the case in the summer, but also to the Milo band, the feast of the Music, The Good Adventure, etc. Their main enemy: the macro-waste rejected by the sea or left by the walkers. The ballet cleaners who wear safety clothing with reflective materials try to pick-up those macro-waste.
Convey the message
To accompany these actions, the SIDF tries to “make the summer eco-friendly”. For this, he recruits during the two months of vacation, a dozen young people, who travel the territory to distil messages to beach users, in addition to perform, also a manual pickup. “This” Beach Protection Brigade “was an experimental action for two years in Bray-Dunes, continues Christophe. We expanded it to the four communes. It is in this way that one can manage to improve cleanliness. We seek to deploy our action by all possible means. The SIDF also notes a “good appropriation by the citizens” installed in autumn, which encourages the walkers to deposit the waste found on their way.