In Fécamp, a day dedicated to taking care of our surroundings
Gloves on, bags at the ready and trainers laced up: OLVEA employees took advantage of World Cleanup Day 2026 to step away from their usual routines for a few hours and experience Fécamp from a different perspective. From the Parc d’Activités des Hautes Falaises to the beach and even beneath the waters of the Bassin Bérigny, this year’s event brought together companies, associations and volunteers with one simple goal: taking care of their local area, together.
It’s 9 a.m. and everyone is ready to go. The teams collect their equipment, form groups and head towards the different cleanup locations.
On the agenda: two hours outdoors across three areas that are well known to Fécamp residents – the Parc d’Activités des Hautes Falaises, Fécamp beach and a section of the Véloroute du Lin.
More than 30 volunteers answered the call from the Association des Entrepreneurs du Parc d’Activités des Hautes Falaises and the Communauté d’Agglomération Fécamp Caux Littoral.
This year, OLVEA lent a helping hand alongside SFEE, Peugeot Lachevre Fécamp, Eaux de Normandie, ESAT EPMSF de Fécamp and the Les Jeunes Pousses micro-nurseries.
The bags quickly begin to fill up.
A closer look at the local area
On the beach, the cleanup brings a rather pleasant surprise: there is little plastic or bulky waste scattered across the sand.
Cigarette butts, however, are very much present.
Picked up one by one, they amount to 5 litres by the end of the collective operation. They will then be sent to the recycling scheme set up by the local authority with TchaoMégot.
Across the three areas, the final tally also includes 13 kg of recyclable waste and 60 kg of miscellaneous waste, including scrap metal and bulky items.
Visible, tangible waste that the participants gradually removed from the landscape over the course of the morning.
A few metres away, another team is carrying out a very different kind of cleanup.
Beneath the surface, a spectacular haul
Next stop: the Bassin Bérigny.
Matthieu, an OLVEA employee, swapped his litter-picking gloves for diving gear to take part in the operation with his club.
With around a dozen divers involved, 635 kg of waste was brought back to the surface.
Tyres, pieces of glass, plastic, scrap metal, bicycles, scooters, shopping trolleys… quite a collection, and one the basin could certainly have done without.
This underwater cleanup adds another dimension to the day and serves as a reminder of just how much waste can remain hidden from view in everyday life.
Meanwhile, at OLVEA
Once the morning is over, the operation continues during the lunch break.
This time, several OLVEA employees gather around the company’s sites to take part in the litter-picking sessions regularly organised near the headquarters, the 405 site and OGT.
Around the headquarters, there is relatively little to collect. It is the perfect opportunity to extend the walk a little further and explore a new area: the sheep enclosure.
And there, a few surprises are waiting for the participants.
Glass bottles, cans, plastic sheeting… all waste that can represent a risk in an area used by animals.
One question remains, however, when it comes to the bottles.
Could OLVEA’s sheep be using their evenings to party?
The mystery remains unsolved. One thing is certain: their enclosure is now cleaner.
When a pair of gloves brings people together
At the end of the day, there are, of course, the figures and the bags of waste collected.
But the photos tell another story too.
People from different companies and organisations walked side by side, talked while picking up litter and sometimes discovered places they pass every day from a completely different perspective.
That is also what makes World Cleanup Day in Fécamp so special: creating an opportunity to get outside, meet others and take action together in a shared local area.
This collective approach fits perfectly with the litter-picking sessions that OLVEA regularly organises around its own sites. A simple initiative, open to everyone, giving each person an opportunity to devote a little of their time to their immediate surroundings.
Same place, next time?
One morning, one lunch break, a few kilometres covered and plenty of bags filled.
Once again, the 2026 edition demonstrated the strength of local mobilisation when everyone contributes a little of their energy.
OLVEA would like to thank all the employees who took part in the day, as well as all the companies, organisations, volunteers and partners involved in Fécamp.
And for anyone who watched the teams go by this time, there will always be a spare pair of gloves for the next cleanup.
