Madeleine Festival 2025. “Everyone lends a hand”: with Sictom agents collecting recyclable waste

From 5 a.m. every morning, before the party starts again, Sictom agents work to collect several tons of recyclable waste abandoned by the hestayres in the streets of Mont-de-Marsan.

Early in the morning, the Moun returns to relative calm after a fourth night of partying. It's around 5:00 a.m., the streets are almost empty, with a few small groups of hestayres still remaining, and above all, trash. Lots of trash. In Place Saint-Roch, you have to make your way through the rubbish littering the ground and the puddles of urine covering the city center.

It is in this unsavoury setting that the agents of the Intercommunal Syndicate for the Collection and Treatment of Household Waste (Sictom) of Marsan begin their day, Sunday July 20, 2025, to collect recyclable waste, which will then be recovered in the sorting center, in Saint-Perdon.

"During the holidays, everyone helps out," explains Claire Sebert, Sictom's deputy communications manager, who usually stays at the site's offices. A total of 40 employees take part every morning in collecting leftovers from the Madeleine's nights.

"We check every bag before putting it in the dumpster," adds Claire Sebert. "Not all bars and bodegas are playing the sorting game." The agents check the transparent bags—24,000 of which have been distributed to the city's bars—sometimes partially filled with glass bottles. They also check the household waste bags, which are sometimes entirely filled with recyclables. "We waste a lot of time because of this. But we have to do it to make the most of everything we can," explains Loïc Dartiguelongue, also deputy communications manager.

The day before, Saturday, July 19, they collected 2,700 kilos of waste. "This morning, there's even more. Generally, the amount of waste follows the traffic curve," says Claire Sebert. The mountain of garbage bags in the center of Place Saint-Roch is still quickly sent to the dumpster. "We have to move quickly. The municipal agents come after us to take care of the household waste," and rinse the ground, which is slippery in places and sticky in others.

Despite unusual working conditions, Sictom agents remain positive. Like Mélanie Bendejac, who declares: "It's once a year, and we know why we do it. We'll sleep this afternoon." The teams' good humor seems contagious. Several hestayres call out to them: "Thank you for what you do."

Two of them even go so far as to offer their help. They're willingly lent a pair of gloves and a bag. "We have to help the poor things. We have nothing better to do," explains Tom Bossaert, 18, who has just finished his evening. This morning, the Sictom can even count on some (big) reinforcements. Three Basket Landes players, Sixtine Macquet, Louise Bussière, and Marie Pardon, are visibly tired. "We partied a bit, we didn't sleep much," says the latter.

At a brisk pace, the band will continue their ballet throughout Mont-de-Marsan, until 8:30 a.m., before reuniting for a meal at the Campo des Arènes. After the effort, a little comfort never hurts.