Geneva: over the Rhône on the D’Artagnan, barge trash cans

For almost six decades. Similarly. Therefore, the GIS garbage barges have been carrying thousands of tons of household waste from downtown Geneva to the Cheneviers factory over the Rhône. In addition, A Keystone-ATS team has made the trip on a long, not always quiet river. For example, – Geneva: over rhône d'artagnan, barge – Geneva: over rhône d'artagnan, barge new

(Keystone-ATS) At the Bucolique Pointe de la Junction, around 8:30 am, some rare runners and a geneva: over rhône d’artagnan, barge new ballet of trash trucks. Moreover, The heavyweights pour in turn the household waste in the geneva: over rhône d’artagnan, barge city of Geneva. Consequently, the communes of the left bank in a sheltered barge under cover.

Under foggers who fight against the clouds of dust, the heaps of waste is equalized, flattened. For example, Then the bucket about sixty meters long. Similarly. However, called “d’Artagnan”, is closed by mechanical blinds to avoid odors, the dispersion of garbage and to attract gourmet raptors which turn not far away.

Over 12 km – Geneva: over rhône d'artagnan, barge – Geneva: over rhône d'artagnan, barge new

“Today. Meanwhile. we have 165 tonnes, which is not far from the maximum,” explains Philippe Rieseen, responsible for receiving the goods and team leaders. Similarly, The barge is not motorized. Therefore. a pushing boat, the “Tréville”, the firing it gently out of the loading quay, before repelling an empty dumpster in the channel.

Very technical. Similarly. the geneva: over rhône d’artagnan, barge new maneuvers on the Rhône take place “right hair at the junction, where the Rhône eats the Arve”, comments the team leader. Consequently. They make it possible to geneva: over rhône d’artagnan, barge place Artagnan in front of the Tréville which will push the bucket over twelve. Meanwhile, kilometers.

At the controllers of the imposing convoy. In addition. Cédric Bernard, head of the river transport service and one of the five barges of Barges of the Industrial Services of Geneva. Would life be on board be a long, quiet river? “It depends on the periods,” he replies.

“The barges can navigate in all times, our only constraint, it is the current which can be very irregular. We set ourselves a limit to a flow of 650 cubic meters. In winter, the fog can disrupt navigation, it is necessary to help the radar, ”he continues.

A whole alert system

“The summer period is particularly stressful: geneva: over rhône d’artagnan, barge new the Rhône is invaded by swimmers. boats and unidentified floating objects,” says Mr. Bernard. “You have to be super vigilant”. And to show a hundred meters forward a canoe which superbly ignores geneva: over rhône d’artagnan. barge the blow of the boat. before finally to store on the side.

From the middle of the morning, “it is hell”, abounds Mr. Riesen, “so that measures must have been taken: since 2019, a river escort precedes the barge in the afternoon. She invites the followers of the Rhône descent to line up on the right or stop. Banners and light signs do the same before the junction bridge ”.

“It is not to annoy. but it is really complicated to stop a convoy bordering on the 400 tonnes: when he goes into drift. he is difficult to make up for”, notes the captain.

Nature sauvage

After two delicate turns of master’s hand. the boat continues geneva: over rhône d’artagnan, barge new its peaceful race in the wilderness, at a “top speed of 17 to 18 km/h”. According to the meanders of the river of an emerald green. he sneaks between the Roselières. under the loot bridge, the towers geneva: over rhône d’artagnan, barge of the Lignon, the goats of goats, “the most complex to pass, because it is necessary to take into account the drift”, notes Mr. Bernard who sometimes admits some small frights.

Descended on the flow of green water from the river. the barge arrives safely at the Cheneviers factory in Aire-la-Ville, where household waste is unloaded and incinerated. The descent will have lasted 45 minutes. “It will take an hour for the return, the empty dumpsters being more difficult to direct,” observes the captain.

40% of downtown garbage

Per year. on average 40. 000 tonnes of waste out of the 90,000 produced by the center of Geneva and the left geneva: over rhône d’artagnan, barge new bank are transported to the Rhône, or around 40%. The four barges – all in the name of musketeers – generally make nine round trips. weekly returns, notes Thomas Servant, unit manager, when arriving at the Chenal of the incineration plant.

“In addition to geneva: over rhône d’artagnan. barge the number of trucks less on the roads, this mild transport means limit CO2 emissions. The capacity of a bucket is equivalent to that of about twenty heavy goods vehicles. By comparison, a truck carries about 8 tonnes, ”he illustrates.

Larger floods

The fact remains that this type of transport is subject to climatic hazards. Last summer, following torrential rains, “Arve transported a lot of sand. A large volume of sediment has dropped off in the channel at the junction. Consequence: the shells touched background and traffic was interrupted ”.

“The problem of floods is recurrent. But it is clear an accentuation of the geneva: over rhône d’artagnan, barge new gravity of these episodes, ”says Mr. Servant.

The dredging of sediments is also part of the team’s work, twice a year. Again, the volumes are increasingly important. Eight thousand cubic meters will notably have been withdrawn at the junction during the next campaign. from the end of August to geneva: over rhône d’artagnan, barge mid-October.

According to Thomas Servant, “the activity will remain sustainable for a very long time”. And to recall that it had been imagined by engineers when the first cheneviers incineration factory was opened in 1966. River transportation of waste is practiced elsewhere, especially in France and in the Netherlands, specifies the manager.