The campaign will provide detailed information of activities related to recycling organic and, more specifically, vegetable waste, created by gardening related activities or in households, where it primarily concerns vegetable peelings and other food leftovers suitable for composting. The campaign incorporates competition prizes with internet support at www.biosance.cz (available only in Czech).
Even teabags can be recycled
According to the association, the primary method of dealing with biological waste is by composting it. It is possible to do so in private gardens using composters, or inside houses where you can use a special odour free composter installed in a shared corridor. There is even the option of domestic mini-composters placed within your home. The waste that gets processed through composters can be used to enrich soil on your vegetable patch, or in plant pots.
“Actually a home recycling centre is both a cheap and useful way how to use biodegradable waste from households that would otherwise end up on public dumps,” commented Tomas Hodek, from Ekodomov, when launching the new campaign. He added that 2.5 million tons of waste ends up on public dumps where biodegradable waste takes up to 40 per cent of the volume. “When we realise how much organic matter disappears from the soil it is counter-productive just to throw it away. By composting biodegradable waste we can replenish depleted soil,” pointed out Hodek, stating that public dumps and incineration processes should be the last option to be considered for this type of waste.
Prague already does some recycling
Recycling biodegradable waste already does take place in Prague, and together with the Ústí region they joined the Ekodomov campaign. Pilot projects providing biodegradable waste containers to citizens were already successfully launched two years ago in Dolní Chabry. Nowadays such containers are already used in 25 municipal areas. There is also a big lockable container in Řepy where inhabitants can dispose of their biodegradable waste. In 2010, Prague plans to build a bio-reactor that will produce heat and gas for generating electricity.
New law will bring a duty
“We are waiting for legislation changes, we as a city are ready,” pointed out Town Councillor Petr Štěpánek, who is in charge of Prague’s environment. “Once the law is implemented, this new option of recycled waste will be incorporated into the municipal waste disposal system,” Štěpánek added. He referred to a public compost yard where the citizens can bring their biodegradable waste.
According to the Czech ministry spokeswoman Petra Roubíčková the new law concerning public waste is already in process. Among other aspects it will oblige municipalities to implement the collection of biodegradable waste by 2010.