Bernard Plano, the president of Smectom, is questioning the nature and motivation behind the criticisms made by two vice-presidents of Smectom.
Following the article published in our columns on September 1, 2023, titled « Voting responsibly for the taxpayers of tomorrow, » Bernard Plano, the President of the Mixed Union for Collection and Treatment of Household Waste in the Lannemezan Plateau (Smectom), responds to Joëlle Abadie, the 1st Vice President, and Nicolas Datas-Tapie, the 3rd Vice President.
Bernard Plano’s project, the Smectom Valorization Center, aims to construct a new site in Capvern to replace the current waste disposal facility. The current facility has reached its limits in terms of size and safety, and the project also aims to develop a recycling center. The project was launched in 2017 and has received approval from the Smectom syndicate committee at every stage of its design and financing, with unanimous support from all committee members. The final cost of the construction was announced during the syndicate committee meeting on August 23rd, after consulting with companies and undergoing an extensive optimization process. This process resulted in a significantly lower cost than the initial estimate.
The concept of a multifunctional recycling center aims to decrease waste, promote social inclusion, raise awareness about the environment, and foster social connections.
Bernard Plano exprime son incompréhension face au changement d’avis de certains élus alors que le budget a été revu à la baisse et que les études ont déjà coûté cher. Il explique que « la réunion du comité syndical du 23 août a été avancée pour respecter les contraintes environnementales imposées par la Dréal pour le démarrage des travaux. Le projet de construction d’un pôle de valorisation des déchets bénéfice de subventions à hauteur de 33 % dont certaines sont encore en cours de consolidation.
The remaining funding will be provided through a significant self-financing of around 600 K€, and the rest through a loan of 2.8 million Euros and bridge loans.
And the president further specified: « The impact on community contributions will range from 0.7 to a maximum of 1%, thanks to optimization measures. »
Les 500 000 euros d’équipements, mentionnés dans l’article du 1er septembre font l’objet d’investissements annuels dédiés au matériel.
This project of a recycling center and waste disposal facility is funded through grants, self-financing, and a loan.
The cost of the recycling center is distributed among the 5 participating communities of the Smectom, proportionally to the number of inhabitants, with a very limited impact on contributions.
The syndicate is also considering renting out the roof of the recycling center to a third-party investor in order to generate solar energy, which will also lead to financial optimization.
The entire cost of the waste disposal facility is covered by the Plateau de Lannemezan community of municipalities.
The Smectom is facing increasingly stringent legal constraints in waste management. It strives to successfully carry out engineering actions to control operational and financial impacts, as well as to ensure fairness for each user of the service.
The recycling center is fully aligned with environmental concerns, insertion goals, and the creation of social connections.
Bernard Plano also questions the motivations and legitimacy of the criticisms expressed by the signatories of the article on September 1st, considering that unanimity has been the norm since the beginning of this project.
And to conclude, the president emphasizes: « that the responsibility for tomorrow’s taxpayers, as well as fairness, are a constant concern of the actions taken, of which no one has a monopoly. »
