The partnership between the airport and the charity founded by the late humourist and comedian Coluche was launched as a trial in March 2022 and extended to 2023. The first of its kind in France, this initiative, which has since inspired other airports, enables passengers to donate products banned from the cabin to Les Restos du Cœur charity. The partnership has just been renewed for several years.
When an object or product is removed from cabin baggage at the security checkpoint, it is systematically destroyed. For Nice Côte d'Azur, this represents hundreds of thousands of items each year. It's a waste that the airport has sought to reduce by initiating the first-ever partnership with Les Restos du Cœur to collect and donate these items. Thus, in 2022 a trial was carried out in one of the airport's terminals, before being rolled out to all terminals the following year, given its success.
For passengers, being able to donate items that they are not permitted to take with them into the cabin is an altruistic way of offsetting their regret at losing these products. For security staff, this initiative has helped to improve the baggage screening process. And, above all, for the beneficiaries of Les Restos du Cœur, the collection enables them to enjoy food items to which they do not usually have access: olive oil, jams, preserves, spreads, national brand soft drinks... but also unexpected items such as irons.
This innovative scheme is a win-win situation for everyone, starting with Les Restos du Cœur beneficiaries, who have already received more than 117,000 products in just 18 months.
For François Chantrait, volunteer chairman of Les Restos du cœur in Alpes-Maritimes, “this partnership is a godsend! It enables the charity's volunteers to offer an exceptional range of products to families living in precarious conditions on a daily basis: hygiene, high-quality groceries, cosmetics... it's a much appreciated ‘bonus’ that is part of a virtuous momentum.”
“Although we had to overcome certain obstacles, particularly in terms of logistics, we can only be proud of this partnership with Les Restos du Cœur. Every year, we have to collect and send of tens of thousands of objects and consumer products for destruction. At a time when waste is no longer tolerable, but also when, unfortunately, a growing number of people have to choose between paying for housing or food, giving a boost to a system of recovery and donation is part of the responsibility we owe to our region and to the inhabitants of the Côte d'Azur”, explains Franck Goldnadel, Chairman of the Board of Aéroports de la Côte d'Azur.
Nice Côte d'Azur Airport and SSP France are particularly pleased and proud to inaugurate the ‘Bagnard’ restaurant on the land side of Terminal 2 in collaboration with Yoni Saada, the maestro of Mediterranean cuisine.
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