Giving a second life to the organic waste of restaurants
- In Ziburu and Donibane Lohitzune is the project of Collecte et Compost, Pierre Koch and Matthieu Haslé. As the name suggests, the two puppies collect the organic waste and compost it with them. Restaurants and companies from both cities start collecting waste by bicycle and compost in the area enabled to do so. We wanted to know more about their way of working and about the network they have created. Koch answers our questions.
When did you create the Collecte et Compost and where did the idea come from?
In October 2020 we founded the Matthieu and I partnership, and five months later we launched the project in March 2021. We were looking for a local activity linked to the circular economy, with low carbon emissions. In some French cities, such as Nantes, Valence, Paris or Lyon, similar projects were already underway, in which we were inspired, but we adjusted the project to the measure of San Juan de Luz and Ziburu.
What are its foundations and functioning?
Our philosophy is to return organic matter to the earth, to return what the earth gives to it, because organic waste is a very rich resource for the earth. We use the trailer connected to an electric bicycle to collect waste from establishments: You can pick up 150 kg each shift. We are currently working with 19 establishments and we are receiving about two tonnes of waste per month. During each visit to the establishments, we weighed, loaded and transported the amount of bio-waste to an area located five kilometers from the urban area to carry out the composting process.
And what is this composting process like?
We shared 500 square meters of land with the town hall of Donibane and the golf course, and we mixed the biorresidues of the establishments with the crushed wood of the maintenance of the golf trees, making large amounts of compost. It takes nine months to get mature compost. In the first phase, temperatures reach 70 ° thanks to the work of bacteria and fungi, eliminating the pesticides and germs that may contain the bioresidue. That is why the compost we then sell in sacks can also be used in organic farming.
There are more similar projects in Iparralde, right? Do you have any relationship with them?
Yes, there are several projects, and we have just created a collective among them: Collectif Biodéchets Pays Basque. The objectives of the group are to strengthen collaboration and achieve better management of bio-waste in our territory.
