How to recycle organic waste?

by greenzy | 9 Mar, 2022 | Compost, Science

How to recycle organic waste?

You want to compost but you don't know which type of composting is the most adapted to your needs? Don't panic, we've decided to explain some of the different ways to recycle your organic waste so that you can see more clearly! First we will talk about the outdoor composter, then we will look at the dehydrator and finally we will finish with the Greenzy indoor composter.

Composting?

First of all, what is composting? Composting is a process where organic waste is transformed into compost by the presence of micro-organisms.

What to put as waste?

Basically, any organic material can be put into any type of compost. You can put fruit and vegetable peelings, eggshells, paper towels and tissues (without inks and perfumes), leftover food such as pasta, rice, etc. On the other hand, bones, shells, cores, dairy products, florists' flowers (containing chemicals) and synthetic materials should be avoided. Meat is also a carrier of disease!

The outdoor composter

We will now analyse the outdoor composter. For people who have an outdoor space, this is the most common composting practice. You need a shady place to pile up all your organic waste, respecting the essential rules of composting to obtain quality compost: turn the compost from time to time to aerate it well, make a good mixture between brown waste and green waste to have a good carbon/nitrogen ratio and nature takes care of the rest. The reasons are that the composting process suffers from temperature changes and bad weather. You will have to wait 6 to 12 months before you can enjoy the mature compost. With the outdoor composter, you may be bothered by unwanted odours and visits from rodents.

The dehydrator

Let's move on to the dehydrator. The result of the dehydrators is an organic waste powder that is obtained by grinding the organic waste and heating it to dehydrate it. This method consumes a lot of energy and has the consequence of killing all living organisms (bacteria, viruses, fungi, micro-organisms). The powder obtained can be put into the plants, where it will rehydrate. It will then be decomposed by the living organisms in the environment to finally feed the plant.

In contrast, compost will retain its living organisms. These organisms will decompose the material directly, providing the plant with nutrients and a structural material filled with these small organisms. All this will be beneficial to the plant.

The Greenzy indoor composter

Speaking of compost, let's finish with Greenzy composting. Greenzy mainly tries to eliminate the current inconveniences of outdoor composting. First of all, you don't have to go out in your garden anymore, you can compost in the comfort of your home. Moreover, thanks to the connected application "Greenzy" you don't need to know anything about composting, you just have to follow the instructions of the application. Then, thanks to the oxygen composting technique used by Greenzy, you won't have to worry about odours. Finally, Greenzy has been designed for a family of 1 to 4 people, so that it is easily repairable, fun and eco-responsible. It requires an investment of €499 to purchase, which will pay for itself by buying fewer bins. Do you have more questions? The FAQ contains lots of answers to questions here.

We hope that we have been able to help you make a better choice about composting. Feel free to follow us on the various social networking platforms to learn more or leave a comment if you have any questions!

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Composting: a step towards a circular economy within everyone's reach!

by greenzy | 16 Jan, 2020 | Compost, Ecology, Science

Composting: a step towards a circular economy within everyone's reach!

50% of our waste is compostable! It is important to compost this waste because it is the only technique that does not generate substances other than those inherent to life and usable by the plant world. In this respect, it is essential to compost at home and not in communal facilities, because "bin liners, collection, transport, incineration and landfill generate environmental (and financial) costs that can be significant". This is not us saying this (although we agree 100%!), it is Wallonia environment as well as many scientific studies (such as the one carried out by the DTU in Denmark or the one by the University of Barcelona). We must therefore prevent our organic waste from leaving its place of birth (i.e. mainly our kitchens and gardens). To do this, there is nothing like individual or neighbourhood composting. In addition, numerous studies and field experiments (see here) inform us that spreading our compost on the soil increases its ability to store carbon from the air and retain water. Taking all this into account, DTU researchers estimate that one tonne of composted organic waste reduces greenhouse gases by 35 kg CO₂ equivalent^[1]. This is about the same as a tree does in a year! In addition to this already very satisfying impact, composting also increases the diversity of fauna and flora. Composting therefore provides real benefits and has an important impact on our future! However, according to a recent study by Wallonia environment47% of Walloons do not compost their organic waste. The main difficulties that we, the citizens, mention to justify this disastrous figure are :

Lack of access to compost. Indeed, 48% of people living in urban areas do not have access to a compost bin. This is huge!
Lack of know-how (14%). It is true that composting is not easy. However, it is all the more rewarding if the compost obtained is of good quality: it is important to avoid the release of odours and the production of toxic compounds.
The source of nuisance that compost represents (13%). It is true that organic waste tends to give off bad smells and attract unpleasant visitors to the kitchen...
Lack of time (12%). Indeed, in addition to requiring considerable know-how, good composting requires sustained attention.

To remedy this, the new Walloon Waste-Resources Plan (PWD-R) has set an ambitious target for 2025: to increase the number of Walloon households composting at home by 23%. But what does this mean in terms of environmental impact? A 23% increase in the number of Walloon households composting at home will actually reduce the amount of household waste by 18,200 tonnes per year and reduce the carbon footprint by 637 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent (according to the latest studies). This is equivalent to almost 9 million km driven by car, or more than 220 times around the earth! Not bad ... However, 2025 is a long way off! Our planet is getting worse and worse and is deteriorating rapidly, you only have to open the newspaper to realise this. Initiatives should be put in place so that this objective can be reached more quickly. A home composting solution should be offered even to people who do not have a garden. Neighbourhood actions should be set up to allow an exchange and an optimal use of the compost obtained. And what if we told you that this will be possible very soon? Indeed, the start-up Greenzy proposes to remedy these problems by providing you with a self-contained, intelligent indoor composter: it promises you quality compost and puts you in touch with people in your neighbourhood to give or receive compost. In doing so, Greenzy allows you to take an essential step towards the circular economy and the preservation of our beautiful planet! Interested? Learn more about it here.

Sources :

[1] Wallonia 2017 measurement campaign, figures available here: http: //environnement.wallonie.be/publi/education/guide_compostage.pdf

[2] Composting organic waste, Wallonie environnement SPW, 2018: http: //environnement.wallonie.be/publi/education/guide_compostage.pdf

[3] Boldrin, A., Andersen, J. K., Møller, J., Christensen, T. H., & Favoino, E. (2009). Composting and compost utilization: accounting of greenhouse gases and global warming contributions. Waste Management & Research, 27(8), 800-812.

[4] Martínez-Blanco, J., Colón, J., Gabarrell, X., Font, X., Sánchez, A., Artola, A., & Rieradevall, J. (2010). The use of life cycle assessment for the comparison of biowaste composting at home and full scale. Waste Management, 30(6), 983-994.

[5] Walloon Waste and Resources Plan: http: //environnement.wallonie.be/rapports/owd/pwd/PWDR_3.pdf

[6] Barometer of waste prevention in Wallonia, 2018: http: //environnement.wallonie.be/rapports/owd/dechets_menagers/ipsos/Barometre_prevention_2018.pdf

[7] ZeroWaste France: https: //www.zerowastefrance.org/traitement-dechets-gaz-effet-serre/

^[1] The various greenhouse gases have different impacts. In order to better compare them and sum up their emissions, the "_CO2 equivalent" is used. This is a unit that assigns for one kg of a greenhouse gas the quantity of kg of_CO2 that would lead to a similar greenhouse effect.