LE PARISIEN: The new life of shells

Posted On: janv. 6, 2021

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When Sophie placed the seafood platters on her festive table on December 31st, her guests honoured the iodised flavours of the Arcachon basin. But when the meal was over, not one of them had a look at the oyster, whelk and clam shells that ended up in the dustbin. A pity, because France is a specialist in recycling them. And there is no shortage of raw material since 150,000 tons of shells are thrown away every year. So much so that the Cyclad mixed syndicate, which groups together several communes of Charente-Maritime, proposes to the inhabitants to deposit them in a waste disposal centre so that they can be recycled. Seventy-eight tonnes were collected in 2018. "The shells are heavy and odorous waste thrown away with the household waste and the treatment by incineration is not suitable because they come out of the furnaces almost intact," the union points out.

Oyster-based surf suit

The commune of Montbert (Loire-Atlantique) is offering its citizens until 18 January to recover their empty whelks, clams, mussels and scallops. They will be used as products to improve the quality of the soil in agriculture. Based in La Rochelle (Charente-Maritime, the leading oyster-producing department), the Ovive company offers a second life to shellfish. Once crushed, the residues are used as feed supplements, particularly for laying hens. "The shells provide them with calcium to consolidate their skeleton and strengthen the shells of their eggs," explains the company.

Also in La Rochelle, the surfwear brand Soôruz has designed a surf suit based on oysters. Rich in limestone, their shells are reduced to powder and mixed up to 30% with vegetable oils, natural rubber and sugar cane. The interest? To replace synthetic suits made from petroleum and one of its derivatives, neoprene. An engineering school in Caen (Calvados), for its part, has succeeded in resuscitating shells in the form of... pavements. Some of the gravel used to design paving stones has been replaced by shells. The result: "eco-paving stones" with draining power used in pedestrian squares or car parks which have the capacity to "reduce the risk of flooding in urban areas". Paving stones tend to suck up water, allowing it to infiltrate the water table.

The prize for originality goes to Biom Paris, which has designed toilet brushes made from 30% scallops from Normandy. Processed locally by a ready meal company, they are then cleaned and crushed in order to be returned to an aqueous medium... at the bottom of your toilet. Proof that shells have an infinite power of reincarnation, the company Friendly Frenchy has for its part designed shell-based sunglasses. Not given (250 € per pair), the Solarmor sunglasses required three years of research. You can opt for a frame based on oyster shells from Cap-Ferret or choose the "fishing on foot" version worked with clams collected in Morbihan. For the colour, obviously, it will be tortoiseshell.

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