Socially-responsible and inspirational waste sorting comes to Marseille

A hub of the circular economy is born

Lemon Tri, a Parisian company specializing in waste sorting, and its young subsidiary, Lemon Aide, which collects recyclable materials from companies, have chosen Marseille for their second site in France. Having won the Med'Innovant competition held by Euroméditerranée, Lemon Tri received support from the public body when opening its new site at Euromed 2 in September. It has 1,800 sq. m of office and logistical-warehouse space which opened last fall. Teams from Provence Promotion have facilitated their integration into the local economy. Guillaume Pellegrin, branch director for Lemon Tri/Lemon Aide in Marseille, aims to develop a hub for the circular economy by inviting companies with similar values to the site.

Sorting is good! And it is even better when it is inclusive, responsible and award-winning. Lemon Tri provides waste sorting services to companies, campuses, shopping malls, train stations and sports centers.

Lemon Aide, the product of a partnership between Danone and the Agir Contre l’Exclusion Foundation and is approved by Direccte as a subsidized-employment company, is responsible for the logistics side (collection, sorting, packaging and storage), hiring candidates who have been out of work for a long time. Provence Promotion was responsible for arranging introductions to subsidized-employment organizations, notably the “Economic and Social Employment Integration” department at the Aix-Marseille Metropolitan Authority, an important step in the company's implantation process.

“In addition to our colored sorting containers (for paper, coffee pods, etc.), our smart machines recycle drink packaging (bottles, cans and plastic cups). They reward users by issuing vouchers or a donation to charity,” explains Pellegrin. An alumnus of the École centrale des arts et manufactures, Pellegrin joined the Lemon Tri/Lemon Aide group in 2017. He has taken on management of the Marseille branch, the second in France after Paris, convinced of his native city’s potential.

A hub of the circular economy is born

Brightly-colored machines were quickly installed at the city's four Monoprix superstores. “When you recycle a bottle, you can choose between receiving a cent or donating it to charity,” explains the former IT tech. Students from the Luminy architecture school enjoy their coffee, which is free if they recycle their bottles, cans and plastic cups in the machine. Discussions are currently being finalized to install machines at logistics warehouses in Fos.

“We won the Med'Innovant competition in 2014. The award facilitated our new site on the Boulevard du Capitaine Gèze. We store materials in part of our 1,500 sq. m center before they are sent to be recycled. We want to create a hub to promote the circular economy,” declares Pellegrin. He leads a four-strong team in Marseille which is due to double next month. He aims to win 300 clients in Marseille and the surrounding areas.