🏗️ What is a "ressourcerie"?
** A "ressourcerie"** is a dedicated to the re-use of objects, where anything that could still be useful is collected, repaired, valorized and resold at low cost. Unlike waste collection centers, its aim is toprevent objects from becoming waste by giving them a second life . Resourceries are key players in the circular and solidarity economy, offering alternatives to over-consumption while creating insertion jobs.
🔍 Genesis of resourceries:
The concept was born in the 1990s in France, inspired by similar initiatives in Québec and Scandinavia. The first ressourcerie was set up in Toulouse in 2000, supported by ADEME (Agence de la transition écologique). Since then, the movement has gone from strength to strength, with now more than 500 structures in France, playing a central role in reducing waste and supporting more responsible consumption.
Who are the players in France's ressourceries and recycleries?
Ressourceries and recycleries are associations or structures with a social vocation that collect, repair and resell second-hand objects. Their mission? Extend the life of objects by preventing them from becoming waste.
📌 Some major national players:
- Emmaüs: The Emmaüs network runs several ressourceries and recycleries in France with a social integration mission.
- Le Réseau National des Ressourceries et Recycleries (RNRR): It federates over 180 structures in France.
- La Belle Recyclerie (Paris): Solidarity store that gives new life to used objects with a creative approach.
- Ressourcerie du Spectacle (Île-de-France): Specializing in the reuse of stage sets and props.
💡 Some key figures:
In 2023, French ressourceries collected more than 100,000 tons of objects, 70% of which were reused or recycled (source: RNRR, 2024).
🏠 What can you find in a ressourcerie?
Ressourceries are not just collection points, they are also real solidarity stores where you can buy objects at low prices.
✅ The objects you can find there:
- Furniture: chairs, tables, bookcases
- Household appliances: coffee machines, vacuum cleaners, lamps
- Games and toys: puzzles, soft toys, board games
- Sports equipment: bikes, scooters, hiking equipment
- Textiles: clothes, curtains, tablecloths
- Books and vinyl: novels, comics, encyclopedias
- Tools and materials: drills, screwdrivers, wood, paint
⏳ When and how do they operate?
The ressourceries operate all year round and offer repair workshops and awareness-raising on the circular economy.
📅 How do you get there?
- The boutiques solidaires are generally open from Tuesday to Saturday.
- Some ressourceries organize exceptional sales during events such as the Semaine Européenne de la Réduction des Déchets (SERD).
🎨 **Focus on creative workshops:**Many ressourceries offer DIY workshops to learn how to repair an object, make a piece of furniture out of pallets or customize clothes.
📍 Where to find a ressourcerie in France?
🔹 In Île-de-France
Recyclerie Sportive - Paris 18e, Massy, Lyon (specializing in sports equipment)
La Petite Rockette - Paris 11e (solidarity store and repair workshops)
Emmaüs Défi - Paris 19e (furniture, household appliances, home decor, textiles)
Ressourcerie du Spectacle - Pantin (theater & cinema sets and props) cinema)
La Trockette - Paris (associative space and solidarity café around reuse)
🔹 In Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Le Magasin de la Ressourcerie - Grenoble (textiles, furniture, toys, crockery)
La Ressourcerie des Biscottes - Lyon (furniture & household appliances)
La ManuFabrik - Clermont-Ferrand (repair workshops and second-hand store)
🔹 En Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Atelier D'éco Solidaire - Bordeaux (design and upcycled furniture)
La Belle Déchette - La Rochelle (creative ressourcerie and educational space)
Ressourcerie Léa Nature - Périgny (ecological & solidarity project of the Léa Nature company)
🔹 In Brittany
La P'tite Boutique - Rennes (solidarity-based reuse and DIY workshops)
Ressourcerie Ti Récup - Brest (building materials, furniture, decorative items)
La Bricothèque de Lorient (tools on loan & collaborative repair) collaborative repair)
🔹 In Nord and Hauts-de-France
Ressourcerie Les Récoupettes - Lille (ethical fashion and home decor, social integration) L'îlot Ressourcerie - Amiens (large boutique for textile reuse and recovery) La Chiffo - Dunkirk (zero waste textile association)
🔹 In Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Ressourcerie La Courtoisie - Marseille (furniture, textiles and creative reuse)
La Réserve des Arts - Marseille (specialized for creative and entertainment professionals)
Recyclerie de la Rade - Toulon (furniture, household appliances, books, textiles)
🔹 En Occitanie
Ressourcerie du Lévézou - Rodez (everyday objects and salvaged building materials)
La Miraille - Toulouse (solidarity reuse workshop and vintage boutique)
La Cité de l'Objet Retrouvé - Montpellier (specialist in bikes, furniture and household appliances)
💡 To find a ressourcerie near you, visit interactive map of the Réseau National des Ressourceries et Recycleries. .
💡 Good to know : The official website of Réseau National des Ressourceries et Recycleries features an interactive map to find a recyclery near you.
🌍 Why adopt the ressourcerie as a mode of consumption?
Opting for ressourceries is adopting a more responsible consumption limiting waste and participating in a social and solidarity economy.
✅ The benefits:
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Reducing waste: 40% of collected objects are reused without transformation.
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Circular economy: purchase at low prices to give a second life to objects.
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Creation of solidarity-based jobs: 80% of structures are associations d'insertion.
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Support for local initiatives: each ressourcerie works with local authorities and businesses.
🔍 Focus on the growth of ressourceries in France
By 2024, France will have more than 500 ressourceries and recycleries. Growth boosted by:
- Local policies for solidarity-based reuse.
- Increased awareness of waste reduction.
- The development of online solidarity stores, such as Label Emmaüs.
A new phenomenon: online resourceries
Some platforms enable second-hand items to be bought online:
♻️ Label Emmaüs
♻️ Back Market (for reconditioned household appliances and high-tech)
♻️ Recyclivre (second-hand books)
✅ What do we remember about this article?
🌿 Adopting ressourceries means choosing more sustainable consumption.
🏡 There are recycling centers all over France, in Paris, in the regions and online.
🔧 They offer workshops to repair and learn how to give a second life to objects.
💼 They create jobs and support the solidarity economy.
📍 It's easy to find a ressourcerie thanks to the Réseau National des Ressourceries.
📚 To find out more about this topic:
🎧 Podcast: Les recycleries, comment redonner une seconde vie aux objets, France Inter
📖 Book: How to repair everything (or almost everything): Le guide pratique pour arrêter de jeter vos appareils dès qu'ils tombent en panne Paperback - Illustrated, March 3, 2021
📺 YouTube video: Reportage sur les ressourceries en France - Brut x Ademe
🌐 Website: Réseau National des Ressourceries et Recycleries
📰 Recent news to follow:
In 2024, the French government voted to step up support for recycleries with an envelope of 50 million euros to encourage the reuse of everyday objects.
👥 Personality to follow:
Flore Berlingen, ex-director of Zero Waste France and author of "Recyclage: le grand enfumage", to understand the stakes of responsible consumption.
📢 Want to go further?
Discover our article on the 5 cities where it will be good to live in 2050..
