The 65 tonnes of love locks removed from Paris’s bridges in the last 18 months are to be sold – and could raise €100,000 for refugee groups

For the past two years, Paris has committed itself to taking on the love lock trend, in which couples, particularly tourists, attach padlocks to the city’s bridges as a symbol of their love.

And since the authorities made the decision to start removing them 18 months ago – cutting down an incredible one million padlocks in the process – it has been left with 65 tonnes of scrap metal to deal with.

Now, authorities hope that the removed locks will be able to spread some more love, after plans were announced to sell 10 tonnes of the locks to members of the public keen to possess a piece of Parisian history – and give the proceeds to refugee groups.



Bruno Julliard, first deputy mayor of Paris, said, “Members of the public can buy five or 10 locks, or even clusters of them, all at an affordable price.

“All of the proceeds will be given to those who work in support and in solidarity of the refugees in Paris.”

Juillard added that he hoped the sale, which is expected to take place next year, could raise up to €100,000, with the remaining locks melted down and sold as scrap.

Paris-based American ex-pat Lisa Anselmo, who launched a high-profile preservation campaign – No Love Locks – in January 2014, praised the “interesting twist” to the story: “Paris has made a strong statement in this one act. I hope other cities around the world will follow its lead.”