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It could almost be the scene of a picture postcard: old boats dotted around the French coastline, moving with the tide. But their environmental impact is a lot less charming. Most boats are made of fibreglass, plastics and resins, making them difficult to recycle. But is there another way? Can sustainable boating set sail? We take a closer look in this edition of Down to Earth. 

A graveyard for boats

Located at the very end of a tiny peninsula, Gâvres is a typical picturesque town in Brittany, France. Boats stranded along the shore at low tide are a common sight. But as you get closer, hulls turned upside down, worn paint and mould growing on the derelict boats tell a different story. 

Some are wooden, from the 20th century. Others are a lot more recent and made of plastic. What they both have in common is that they have been dumped there by the owners, turning a quiet beach into an eerie marine graveyard.

According to Vassilis Spyratos from the Morbihan Sea and Land Agency, this is just one example among many across France. A clean-up operation will soon begin in Gâvres to remove the abandoned boats, sponsored by local authorities. 

And Gâvres is not an exception. There are many others like it along France's coastline.