Since 1958, the Syndicat intercommunal du cimetière des Joncherolles has managed a unique funeral complex serving more than 250,000 residents in the municipalities of Épinay-sur-Seine, Pierrefitte-sur-Seine, Saint-Denis, Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine and Villetaneuse. This equipment and its teams carry out an indispensable mission of general interest, namely to propose a place of burial and remembrance that meets the wishes of the inhabitants of all origins and beliefs, while respecting the choices of burial. The quality of listening and respect for diversity make the Joncherolles cemetery an invaluable place of memory.
This public facility is, in more ways than one, a multi-faceted cemetery:

• A local public service with available and dedicated teams. The crisis of the COVID-19 virus epidemic that we have just experienced has particularly shown a team of professionals mobilized to ensure that the tributes to the deceased take place in the best possible conditions.
• An open space that seeks to follow societal developments, with the creation of several denominational squares (for the deceased Muslim and Orthodox), places of burial and meditation that respond to any request of a bereaved family and work to improve its accessibility.
• A place of recollection and walk to remember the deceased, which benefits from a wide variety of flowers, tree species and an unsuspected fauna. The Union’s commitment to an ambitious environmental approach in favor of the protection of biodiversity, with the cessation of pesticides and the establishment of an ecological management of the cemetery, was welcomed. Indeed, Joncherolles honey has been awarded several times.
• An architectural and historical site, created by major artistic and architectural signatures, that can be proud of the label «Remarkable contemporary architecture», obtained in 2018.
  Eco-responsibility is at the heart of every stage of transformation, of every public service mission.
  Any action, whether it is to renovate the site or to manage the cemetery is undertaken by limiting the ecological footprint and the impact on the environment:
• By limiting resource consumption
  – By promoting biodiversity
• By reducing pollution
  In 2014, the cemetery had to be renovated after 40 years of operation. Bereaved families deserved services that met their specific needs. Each year saw a new stage of transformation with new equipment and services adapted to families, more and more coming to collect in this intermunicipal cemetery.
  The aging buildings, the columbarium and its ceremonial hall have been renovated. Then, two entrances were created to facilitate access to the cemetery, one in the North-East in immediate access with the «Joncherolles» tram station, the other in the South near the «Jean Vilar» tram station.
  A Garden of Remembrance, designed with the aim of preserving the landscaped spaces, was inaugurated in 2014. Local plant species have replaced the damaged thuya from the overgrown divisions.
  A signage helps families to orient themselves more easily in the cemetery and invites them to discover the richness of the artistic, architectural and landscaped heritage of this unique cemetery in the department. In 2015, the complete accessibility work of the cemetery made it possible to obtain the Programmed Accessibility Agenda (AD'AP).
  The furnaces were changed, adding a heat reuse function to heat the administrative buildings as well as the housing. And the filtration line was brought up to standard well before the February 2018 requirement. Water consumption has been reduced through the reduction of permeable mineral surfaces. It is in this eco-friendly spirit that the fountain located at the entrance of the crematorium was replaced by a dry, more economical garden.
  The entrance steps have been reworked to secure users' access. The access ramps to the divisions, the public access in front of the shops present on site, currently being renovated, will make it possible to secure the pedestrian paths. A programme for upgrading roads in the Sursol, Enfeus and Columbarium divisions has been studied and should be planned in the coming years.
  The SICJ has been engaged for several years in an ambitious environmental approach with the establishment of an ecological management of the cemetery. It is about protecting the environment by reducing the ecological footprint, developing biodiversity and saving resources.
  In 2013, the Joncherolles cemetery was one of the first to launch an exemplary sustainable development policy. Cemetery maintenance is managed naturally without the use of plant protection products that may pose a health risk. The families were sensitized by a dedicated communication.
  Priority is given to planting persistent and local plants. Biodiversity is also fostered by choice of perennial plants and maintenance that promotes the growth of spontaneous flora. Arrangements favouring the implementation of preventive techniques (mulching, cover-soil plants, etc.) have been made
  All mineral and waterproof surfaces have been minimized to facilitate water flow.
  In the summer of 2017, a new stage was reached with the implementation of the differentiated management of green spaces by adapting the maintenance method to the characteristics of each space. Five hives installed in 2014 produce honey twice a year, regularly awarded in the honey competition of Île-de-France. Information panels have been installed to inform cemetery users.
  Steps still need to be taken and the union is continuing its commitment to ambitious environmental approaches.