Biowaste

One of the initiatives of the LIFE Waste to Resources IP project, implemented by the Waste Management Association of Latvia, is the separate collection and further management of kitchen biowaste to produce biogas. Following an informational campaign in August held in the courtyard of the Anniņmuiža neighborhood, residents from 31 apartments in a 120-apartment building have joined the initiative.

In August, after introducing residents to the project’s objectives and implementation process, the next significant step was signing agreements with participants and distributing the necessary equipment. According to project guidelines, each family is provided with either a 10-liter or a 6-liter bin for kitchen waste collection, with residents choosing the bin size based on their needs (see Figure 1). Before signing agreements and distributing the bins, informational materials outlining the kitchen waste sorting requirements were prepared and clearly displayed on information boards in each stairwell.

1 Image. Small bins distributed to residents. Photo: D. Āriņa

Along with the distribution of bins, a special bio-waste container for collecting kitchen waste was placed in the designated area in the building’s courtyard (see Figure 2).

2nd Image. Biological kitchen waste collection container near the residential building

What is the first experience gained in sorting kitchen waste? Out of 120 apartments, 31 households took small containers or bins in the first round. The main reasons for refusal:

• the belief that "we don't produce any biological waste or it is very little";

• the belief that "we are just tenants and will soon move to another apartment";

• on Friday evening, many residents were not at home and did not participate in the distribution.

In the first week, the communal container placed near the building filled up well, the material did not contain impurities, and all the apartments that had participated in the information meeting in August and received small bins for waste, used them as intended. Upon signing the contract, residents were instructed to submit the collected kitchen waste data every quarter for information gathering.

Key conclusions for further action at the national level – to engage residents in widespread kitchen waste collection, active involvement of each building's management is required. In this project, the initiators and funders were the project implementers. However, for the continuation of separate collection of kitchen waste on a national scale, it is necessary to ensure the purchase of kitchen containers and sign contracts with residents using the funds saved for house management, which practically determines their involvement in the kitchen waste sorting process. The more actively we engage residents, the better the results we can expect.

Due to the national diversity of residents in large multi-story buildings, the information must be illustrative both on individual kitchen containers and on the communal bio-waste collection containers, and if necessary, in Latvian, Russian, and English. For bio-waste disposal, waste management companies need to purchase specialized containers, making use of manufacturers' offers to ensure the lowest prices for containers. Waste container collection must be regular, and their cleanliness should be monitored. Regular container cleaning is a mandatory condition to ensure that the waste sorting process is pleasant and sustainable for residents.