Recycling and reuse activities on the Van Pelt site located in Lens

24 juin 2022
Lens

This project, in partnership with the Public Land Establishment (EPF) Hauts-de-France, involves a number of actions taken to recycle and reuse materials.

The creation of an urban forest using excavated soil from the construction industry

The renaturation of the site is possible through the application of the principle of the circular economy of inert soil. The reuse of excavated soil from local construction sites allows the rehabilitation and transformation of the wasteland. Thus, the renaturation and planting operations are financed by ECT through contributions of excavated soil.

Using the neighbouring site as a ‘nursery’ for an urban forest

Trees and shrubs were removed from the vicinity in order to be re-planted on the site of the proposed urban forest. The aim is to replant these trees where they are useful and to ensure better recovery. Indeed, the subjects are already acclimatised to the to the characteristics of the area. Also, nearby areas of grassland and dry meadows are being restored.

Recycling in favour of biodiversity

On the site, abandoned nozzles will be reused: they will become a habitat for hibernating bats. Sand brought in from the old racks at the waste disposal centre will provide micro-habitats for wild bees and other sand-loving insects.

Creating a fresco on an old industrial panel

The graffiti artist Bertrand Parse and his collective « Red Bricks » created a fresco on an old industrial panel on the site in two days. It will be visible from the nearby motorway. This street-art work evokes the fauna and flora of the future urban forest: bats, bees, trees and shrubs. And will transport the viewer in a glance.

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