/ 
A third place to serve the coast
Housed in municipal premises rented from the town of Le Croisic, the Recyclerie Maritime has set itself the mission of combating the abandonment of nautical equipment and prolonging its use. End-of-life boats, sails, boards, wetsuits, deck fittings, electronics... everything that has anything to do with boating finds a new lease of life here.
The idea is simple but effective: collect, sort, repair, transform or resell. Reusable parts are offered in a solidarity store; those that can no longer be sailed become everyday objects âeuros bags made from kite wings, kits made from neoprene, lamps made from nautical charts âeuros or even street furniture made from hulls, with an important integration dimension for La Recyclerie Maritime, which works with several ESATs (Etablissements ou Services d'Aide par le Travail, commonly still called "centers d'aide par le travail" or CAT) in the area.
Raising awareness through action and creativity
In addition to recycling, the Recyclerie is also a place for sharing and raising awareness. Conferences, concerts, repair workshops, "ProtègeTaPlage" beach clean-ups and educational projects with local schools enrich the life of the site. The idea: to learn more about the coast so as to better protect it, and to act in a warm and inclusive atmosphere.
With the support of players such as the Fondation de la Mer and Nautihub, the association is developing an ecological cutting cabin to cleanly process composite hulls, a non-recyclable but extremely robust material. A decantation filtration technology makes it possible to work without releasing harmful particles into the environment. The aim is to manufacture garden and street furniture using materials designed to withstand the elements.
An initiative born of ecological shock
Julien Carlier, founder and passionate sailor, explains how he was affected by the Erika oil spill in 1999. Since then, he has campaigned for a different approach to the sea. With his childhood friends âeuros Camille Chevalier, Alexandre Lamarthe and Germain L'Hermitte âeuros, he has gathered around him volunteers and partners to give life to this project inspired by both urban third places and nautical flea markets.
The aim is also social: in conjunction with local IMEs, ESATs and associations, the Recyclerie integrates people with disabilities or integration problems into its workshops, particularly in the textile and craft sectors.
A long-term national ambition
It's already a great success. In just a few months, the Recyclerie has collected more than 40 boats, 300 fittings, around 30 sails and hundreds of other nautical items, totalling some 12.5 tonnes. The workshop is running at full speed, and projects are multiplying: podcasts, conferences, partnerships with the wind energy sector, development of a composite reuse sector, and why not tomorrow, a network of maritime recycling centers all along the French coast.
