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Written by Administrator
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23-06-2006 |
The sustainable management of organic waste is becoming increasingly important across Europe. Member States of the European Union have a number of targets to meet for the diversion of organic waste away from landfill. The EU Landfill directive particularly focuses on organic waste with targets to reduce the amount of organic waste landfilled to: 75% of 1995 levels by 2010, 50% by 2013 and 35% by 2020. In addition the Animal By-Products Regulation bans commercial food waste from going to landfill from the end of 2005.
Community Composting concurs with the principles of sustainable development and in particular the proximity principle, making it one of the best ways to meet these targets. Through the promotion of home composting and the localised collection and processing of organic waste it ensures that it is dealt with close to the source of its production as possible in a way which benefits that local community. Typically these projects are not just concerned with composting; they combine this with other social and environmental issues in their localities, for example:
- training for local unemployed people
- sheltered work for adults with learning difficulties horticultural therapy activities managing local areas of green space
- training in key skills and personal development
- vocational training in subjects such as horticulture and composting.
- Composting can lead to for many community ventures such as: Sheltered housing
- City Farms
- Community Gardens and Parks
- Market Gardening
- Schools
- Prisons
- Therapeutic and sheltered work establishments
- Community cafes & healthy eating projects
- and many more……
The 'Growing with Compost' Project
This is an innovative dynamic partnership project, funded for two years to develop much needed social economy composting projects across Europe. It will provide training and educational support to organisations and individuals that wish to develop local Community Composting initiatives that combining the goals of providing adult education and training through social employment and in providing organic waste management and horticultural services.
Aims and Objectives
The principal objectives of this project are:
- To provide the training and educational resources to encourage adults to actively participate in the process of sustainable organic waste management by composting.
- To support adults learners in the increased development of social economy composting initiatives that will help meet local, national and European organic waste management targets.
- To provide adult learners with the tools to create active communities, enliven urban and rural regions and to create new jobs for socially excluded people and the long term unemployed.
- To increase partnership working between organisations promoting social economy composting at a European level.
Toolkit - One way these aims will be achieved is by creating a toolkit of resources. The project partners and similar organisations will be able to use the toolkit to develop training programmes and seminars, while remote learners and trainees will be able to access the toolkit here.
Demonstration Sites - The project includes a network of demonstration sites across Europe to show best practice and innovation. Local projects can combine the aims of composting and adult education in a practical working environment. The sites can be used as working classrooms for training events based on the toolkit and they will also be available for remote learners to arrange their own visits and see the sites first-hand.
How these resources can be accessed
Although all the information resources are free, we do need you to register as a Growing with Compost user. We will only use your email address to send you Growing with Compost news, for example updates or news of events. We will not pass your details onto other organisations.
Via this website – just click on the toolkit link
Training Seminars – There will be a range of seminars across the partner countries, some to test the toolkit. The seminars will, where possible, be based at demonstration sites to enable the day to combine both practical hands on learning and class room based teaching. The seminars will be widely publicised to the target audiences in the respective partner’s countries. For details of forthcoming seminars please check the calendar.
Promotional Events - Towards the end of year two the partners will organise two major promotional events. One event will be based in the UK, and the other will be held at the Czech University of Agriculture in Prague. The latter of these events will be focused on the new EU member states and Central & Eastern Europe.
Via Other Networks – Promoting the project to other National and European networks will ensure that members of other networks know about the tools so that they can use them to can learn about Community Composting and develop composting related projects in their areas. For details of other networks see our links page. |
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Last Updated ( 31-05-2007 )
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