Québec garbage man Simon Paré-Poupart publishes diary 'Ordures!'

Simon Paré-Poupart, a garbage collector (vidangeur) in the Montreal region for about twenty years, has published 'Ordures! Journal d'un vidangeur' with Lux Editions. The book is an intimate diary of his profession, detailing the physical and socially undervalued nature of the work without pathos. Paré-Poupart, who holds a sociology degree, chose the job deliberately, describing it as intoxicating. He identifies as a freegan, recovering waste from consumer society to minimize his own consumption. The book recounts the pride and joy he finds in his work, countering common perceptions of garbage collection. 'Ordures!' won the Prix des libraires du Québec 2025 in the essay category. It is reminiscent of Joseph Ponthus's 2019 essay 'À la ligne', which depicted factory work. The text is rich in Quebecois expressions. The article also mentions a segment on Kinshasa, DRC, where Valentin Kuamba Kuka discusses the MASAPO laboratory celebrating narrative diversity and revitalizing storytelling.