The Other Side of Paris

What comes to mind when you are asked to conjure up an image of Paris?

I don't blame you for thinking of the Eiffel Tour, beautiful people, high fashion, delicious food, or the Louvre.

Because its true! Paris is teeming with boulangeries, museums, monuments, cafes.

And of course, Romance.

But this is not all that Paris has to offer.

I stumbled upon what I would like to call the "Other Side" of Paris while strolling along La Petite Ceinture. No mouth-watering pastries in sight, no high fashion here.

 Project PC19: Modern-day RagPickers

The ancient practice of "Ragpickers" has began to see a come-back in certain neighborhoods of Paris. At the end of my stroll down La Petite Ceinture, I had unknowingly trespassed on the stomping grounds of the not-so-professional Trash Collectors of Paris. The street art was jaw-dropping and the seemingly endless piles of scrap metal, old clothing, shoes, and the abandoned baby carriage rendered me speechless. There were buckets to catch the water from the leaks, mattresses, wigs,and lots of "human waste".

After some careful research, I learned that this underground association has a name: Project PC19. The goal: to bring back an extinct profession which in English we could lovingly call "Ragpicking" or "Dumpster Diving". 

Before the invention of poubelles in 1883, the Ragpicker a "petit métier" that would be eventually be replaced with the modern-day "garbage man". In the 19th century, the Ragpicker wandered the streets before daybreak, digging through the piles of trash thrown out by the bourgeoises. This self-made profession was integral to keeping the streets of Paris clean (although, the streets were still quite filthy after the Ragpickers made their rounds). The Ragpickers carried laterns, hooks, and baskets, drank l'eau-de-vie by the liter, and were mostly marginalized yet sometimes reputable, as was the caracter Lutine, known in his neighborhood for his off-beat philosophical speeches. The Ragpickers existence was miserable yet fundamental, adjacent with the steady rise of consumerism.

The Recyclers of the 19th century, the Ragpickers came in waves. The first were the highest-ranking, the second the apprentices, and by the time the third wave came there was not much left of value in the piles of waste. 

After the invention of the trashcan, by Monsieur Eugene Poubelle, organized trash collection took the place of the Ragpickers. The profession eventually died out.

But what I discovered on my little trip down La Petite Ceinture was that, the Ragpickers have once again began to make a name for themselves in Paris. At the end of a trash and metal scrap littered tunnel, I found myself at what I presume now is a head-quarters of modern day Ragpickers (biffins in French).

Turns out that certain associations are beginning to recognize these Ragpickers as an essential part to modern day society. In reality, the Ragpickers are the vultures of humans, they find useful items in what others have already deemed as waste. The normally wasted energy is therefore reused. At the same time, they rid the streets of trash, as vultures pick away at carcasses and harvest wasted ATP.

In the 18th arrondissement, there exists a Carré des Biffins, a place where, if you are over the age of 18 and agree to only propose second-hand objects, you can trade or sell the treasures of the street. I have seen this market take place before but never thought it was an organized flea-market. It happens at the bottom of Montmartre, just a 10 minute walking distance from my little apartment.

In reality, not only does this profession help ameliorate the condition of the streets of a large city, but it also a great way to recycle. Recently, Paris has been doing its part to study this underground group of Recycling Avengers and pumping money into pushing organized gatherings.

And here I was, wandering around like a tourist (I'd like to consider myself an immigrant at this stage but can't help but marvel at the unknown) on what now seems to be a Ragpicker headquarters.

 Place of Resistance. On August 25th, 1944 the FFI and FTPF army captured a German train under this bridge after a hard fight

Next, you come across a garden. This is what really made me fall in love with the OtherSide of Paris. The fact that the overwhelming heaps of rejected material goods could be countered with some plants. I didn't notice the intentional vegetable garden at first, until my curious partner in crime called me over to look. This is when I realized that there was a compost pile, tomatoes, herbs, and flowers, everything meticulously labeled.

I was throughoutly impressed by the organisation and attention to detail. My personal favorite was the Wishing Tree:

From the parc buttes chaumont above, park go-ers could look down on the small community being built under the bridge. All in all, the idea is much more "green" to me than driving across the state of CT to the Trader Joe's to buy overpriced Tofu and Soymilk (made with GMO soy..). Giving back to the community by finding ways to use seemingly useless junk, composting, and planting flowers is a much more logical way to help preserve as much as we can.

So I say, Long Live the Ragpickers. Next time I pass by The Ragpicker Square (did I mention that it is just a street up from my apartment!?) I promise to not eschew the daunting piles of moldy books and moth-eaten jackets. I will find something beautiful and bring it back to Julien.

Until next time....

xo

july