Picture scene

French recycling centre vocabulary: explore the collection bays

Explore twelve French recycling-centre bays and handling objects. Read short waste descriptions and choose the destination indicated by the site staff.

In short

Une déchèterie is a waste and recycling drop-off centre. Une benne is a large open skip; un bac is a smaller container. Explore twelve bays and handling points, then follow this site’s instructions for wood, metal, cardboard, rubble and other items.

Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn

A woman with flattened cardboard boxes listens to a recycling-centre worker indicating an open skip containing cardboard, unlabelled separate wood skip nearby.
Nora asks where to leave her cartons aplatis. Illustration: Atelier

J’ai une vieille étagère en bois. Vous m’indiquez où la déposer ?

I have an old wooden shelving unit. Could you show me where to put it?

An arrival lane and separate collection bays

Clear overhead perspective of a small municipal recycling drop-off centre. The entrance has a lifting barrier and a staff member beside a clear waiting space. A
Describe the item before asking where it goes
Material or contentsFrench description
Wooddes planches en bois
Metaldes morceaux de métal
Cardboarddes cartons aplatis
Garden cuttingsdes branches et des feuilles
Remaining paintdes pots contenant encore de la peinture

Say what the object is made of and what remains inside it: en bois, en métal, vide or avec un reste de peinture. In the scene below, the employee identifies the destination for each load. The words cette benne-ci mean “this skip here”.

Le chargement de Nora

Nora arrive avec des cartons, des planches et quelques objets cassés. Elle attend devant la barrière d’entrée, puis explique son chargement1 à l’agent. Il lui montre la benne à cartons pour les boîtes qu’elle a déjà aplaties. Les planches vont dans la benne à bois qu’il désigne. Nora présente ensuite un vieux grille-pain : l’agent lui indique la cage pour appareils électriques. Elle garde à part un pot qui contient encore un reste de peinture2 et demande où le déposer. L’agent l’accompagne au local des déchets dangereux. Avant de repartir, Nora vérifie qu’elle n’a rien laissé sur le quai3.

Read it in English

Nora arrives with cardboard boxes, wooden boards and a few broken objects. She waits in front of the entrance barrier, then explains her load to the employee. He shows her the cardboard skip for the boxes she has already flattened. The boards go in the wood skip he points to. Nora then shows him an old toaster: the employee directs her to the electrical-appliance cage. She keeps a tin that still contains leftover paint separate and asks where to put it. The employee accompanies her to the hazardous-waste store. Before leaving, Nora checks that she has left nothing on the unloading platform.

Question 1No account needed
Where should this load go in the scene?J’ai des briques et des tuiles cassées. Où dois-je les déposer ?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

la benne à gravats. Broken bricks and tiles are des gravats; this scene has a dedicated rubble skip.

Question 2No account needed
Choose the bay for the gardener’s load.J’apporte des branches et des feuilles après avoir taillé ma haie.

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

la benne à déchets verts. Branches and leaves belong to the scene’s garden-waste load: les déchets verts.

Question 3No account needed
Locate the small collection point for these items.Ces petites piles usagées viennent de ma télécommande.

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

le bac à piles. The small used batteries go to the scene’s bac à piles, the battery collection box.

Question 4No account needed
Where should Nora take this item?Ce vieux grille-pain ne fonctionne plus.

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

la cage pour appareils électriques. The employee identifies the wire appliance cage for the toaster in this scene.

Question 5No account needed
Which place does the employee use for this tin in the text?Il reste encore de la peinture au fond de ce pot.

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

le local des déchets dangereux. The employee names le local des déchets dangereux, the roofed storage area, and accompanies the visitor.