The Small Business of Yesterday’s Trash

The dévaloir—a Swiss term referring to a chute for disposing of household waste—was a common feature in luxury chalets during the 1960s and 70s. These shafts, accessible on every floor, funneled trash to metal containers in the basement. From there, it fell to concierges or service staff to empty these bins—a grim task. Before incineration, they had to sort through the nauseating jumble, transfer the contents into bags, and haul them to small garbage collection huts. Yet, there was a silver lining to this unpleasant chore. Returning empty bottles, then worth a deposit of 50 cents each, provided a lucrative side hustle. Some industrious staff managed to supplement their income significantly, with one concierge admitting that the bottle trade—roughly 3,000 per year—funded his vacations! However, this era of dévaloirs came to an abrupt end when they were deemed fire hazards and sealed off, disappearing into obscurity.