Key learnings: Biowaste management

Matchmaking

04 April 2023

By Platform

On 30 March 2022, the Policy Learning Platform organised an online matchmaking on biowaste management – small scale automated composting.

Our experts A strid Severin and Magda Michaliková, organised and moderated the online session.

The challenge

The matchmaking was requested by Junta de Alanducía, who asked for support with their regional challenge related to biowaste collection and management. The main focus is a current circular economy project based on a door-to-door collection of organic waste and decentralized composting in small municipalities.

In the project, five semi-automatic machines are to be set up in small municipalities located in remote areas of the Sierra de Cádiz, three of the five machines are already in place. The host sought help of the peers with some operating problems of the machines.

Peers from Italy and Cyprus shared their experience with automatic composting on a small scale, namely in the municipalities of Torrioni, Italy, and Yermasoya, Cyprus. The peers discussed issues related to:

Use of compostable bags
Power supply system
The best material as a structuring agent (pellets vs. wood chips vs. sawdust), treatment capacity
Significance of process controls (moisture, temperature, etc. need to be optimal)
Importance of compost screening
Communication and involvement of the inhabitants for the success of municipal composting

The regional government of Andalusia gained new insights into this challenge as well as concrete advise and ideas on how to improve their project in Sierra de Cadiz.

Participants

Host:

Germán Coca, Dirección General Sostenibilidad Ambiental, Junta de Andalucía.
Alexia Astolfi, Dirección General Sostenibilidad Ambiental, Junta de Andalucía.
José Domingo Rojas, Agencia de Medio Ambiente y Agua, Junta de Andalucía.
Carmen Moreno, Agencia de Medio Ambiente y Agua, Junta de Andalucía.
Javier Jiménez, BASICA SAU, Mancomunidad de municipios de la Sierra de Cádiz
Juan Rodriguez, BASICA SAU, Mancomunidad de municipios de la Sierra de Cádiz

Peers:

Kyriakos Panayiotou, Tufit Cyprus
Timos Misseris, Environmental Health Officer, Yermasogia Municipality, Cyprus
Massimo Santucci, CEO Officine Sostenibili, Italy

Interreg Europe and Policy Learning Platform:

Astrid Severin, Thematic Expert on Environment and Resource Efficiency
Magda Michaliková, Thematic Expert on Environment and Resource Efficiency
Elena Ferrario, Thematic Manager, Interreg Europe Policy Learning Platform
Diane Bulon, Policy Officer, Interreg Europe
Etienne Verhelle-Rodzinka, Policy Officer, Interreg Europe