Unusual initiative in Dijon. The social landlord Grand Dijon Habitat is organizing a sale at low prices of several materials from the Boutaric building, in the Grésilles district. The advantage is twofold: empty the premises before the destruction of the building while recycling so as not to throw away.
64 years after its construction, the Boutaric building, located in the Grésilles district of Dijon, is bowing out. The nine-storey building, containing 147 apartments, will be demolished at the end of 2023. A page for the neighborhood is turning, but some vestiges of the places could experience a second life.
This is the case for several hundred cast iron radiators, water heaters, sinks, taps…and even door handles. Friday, March 10, many materials are thus put on sale by the social landlord Grand Dijon Habitat. Displayed at the foot of the old Boutaric building and in a large container placed at the foot of the building, all these objects are offered at a reduced price.
In Boutaric, each object was carefully unscrewed before being entrusted to a Dijon association responsible for restoring them.
Rémy Crevisy,operations manager at Grand Dijon Habitat
50 euros for the radiator, 20 euros for the bathtub. The objective of these markdowns is clear: to give a second life to these materials, which can still be used. “You should know that the building sector is a huge producer of waste“, explains Rémy Crevisy, operations manager at Grand Dijon Habitat. “The demolition of the Boutaric building alone will thus produce more than 11,000 tonnes of waste“.
Through this “recycling” or “big sale” operation, the lessor therefore hopes to reduce the carbon footprint of the operation.. “The problem with a demolition, if we go about it in a standard way, is that all the materials will be damaged and we cannot hope for a revaluation” poursuit Rémy Crevisy. “ In Boutaric, each object was carefully unscrewed before being entrusted to a Dijon association responsible for restoring them.“.
It is The Burgundian Valorists who was tasked with this task. For weeks, members of the organization have been repairing and cleaning every room. “It’s a good thing for us, because it gives an activity to the people in reintegration that we make work“, savors Jean-Pierre Di Stefano, project manager within the association. “It’s also good not to see all these objects go to the landfill“.
If in form, the action has something to seduce, has it attracted potential customers? “In this period of inflation, it is sure that it is interesting” admits Jean-Marc, retired, who came because he would like to redo his house. The septuagenarian is looking at taps, sold for 5 euros each. “I managed to take them for two euros. It’s that I’m not a millionaire“.
The event also attracts professionals: “I rehabilitate buildings, so I recover materials here that are worth a fortune new“explains a carpenter from Dijon. “There I found differentials and electrical circuit breakers. Here it is 10 euros each. Commercially, it’s about 60“.
The sale continues this Saturday March 11 and resumes Friday March 17 and Saturday March 18. All profits will be donated to the association Les Valoristes Bourguignons.
With Yacine Arbaoui
