Who we are

Published on 07/06/2023 – Updated on 07/18/2023

Our history

Following the sinking of the “Prestige” on November 19, 2002 off the coast of Galicia in the Atlantic Ocean, the Landes communities affected by the pollution of 63,000 tonnes of fuel oil from this oil slick decided to join forces to form the Syndicat de Protection du Littoral Landais.

The Syndicat Mixte is set up to defend the Landes coastline before French and foreign jurisdictions against all forms of marine pollution.

For example, it has systematically brought civil action against unauthorized degassing of merchant ships in the open sea, as observed by the Gendarmerie.

As of 2018, the Syndicat Mixte becomes the Syndicat Mixte du Littoral Landais, extending its powers to include waste collection and treatment along the Landes coastline.

This measure, unique on the Atlantic seaboard for the differentiated cleaning of 106 km of coastline, had previously been managed by the Landes department in conjunction with the communes and coastal communities since 1991.

Our organization

The Syndicat Mixte du Littoral Landais is made up of the following members:

- the department of Landes

- the following communities in the communes:

Community of communes of Côte Landes Nature
Community of communes of Mimizan

- and the 17 communes specified below:

Biscarrosse, Capbreton, Gastes, Labenne, Lit-et-Mixe, Messanges, Mimizan, Moliets-et-Maâ, Ondres, Saint-Julien-en-Born, Sainte-Eulalie-en-Born, Seignosse, Soorts-Hossegor, Soustons, Tarnos, Vielle-Saint-Girons, and Vieux-Boucau.

The Syndicat Mixte calls on private service providers to carry out the differentiated clean-up of the Landes coastline under a 7-year public service contract covering the period of 2020-2026.

The Department of Landes provides 50% of the Syndicat’s funding, with the other half covered by the other members. The Syndicat also receives subsidies from the Direction Générale de l’armement, which manages a portion of the coastline covered by the differentiated cleaning program.