Coastal cleanup operations collected nearly 270,000 metric tons of waste, composed of heavy fuel oil mixed with seawater, sand, stones, driftwood and plastic bags, as well as collection equipment, nets and other objects.
As soon as the fuel oil started washing onto the coast, Total approached the authorities in charge of containing the crisis and offered to:
Consolidate the waste in four heavy-duty storage facilities.
Clean up most of the intermediate storage sites.
Treat the waste collected on the shore and resulting from storage site cleanup operations.
Total signed an agreement with the French government formalizing this proposal on September 13, 2000.
The waste treatment operations cost about €80 million and spanned three years, from early 2001 to late 2003.
The process selected involved recycling the products, and the proximity of the Donges refinery allowed the recovered oil to be processed. Uncompromising safety and environmental standards dictated every step in all of these processes.
The treatment phase was monitored on an ongoing basis by the public authorities. A local information and monitoring committee (CLIS), comprising government and Total representatives, elected officials, local residents and environmental protection associations, was also regularly informed of developments throughout the operation. |
Waste treatment process
