Compost program in 16.district of Budapest
The first program goes on from the autumn of 2005 until August, 2007, the second one started at the end of 2006 and is going to continue until December, 2009. In the first one 197 families took part, while in the second one 175 families and 14 schools and nurseries were involved.
Location: Budapest, 16th district
Number of inhabitants: about 70.000 ps
Promoters: of the two domestic composting programs of the district, the first one was promoted by the local government, the second one was promoted by the waste company FKF Zrt. (Fővárosi Közterület-fenntartó Zrt.)
Partners: Öko Fórum Fundation (non governmental organization)
Provider of services: after the success of the first program, starting a new one was promoted by FKF Zrt. (provider of services) and in this latter case it covered the 60 % of compost pot-expenses.
Type and price of frame: factory-built, closed compost pot, made of plastic: Eco-Composter (340 litres) and Compostal (800 litres, for foliage) (www.compostal.hu), chosen by employees of the local government's Environmental Protection Office, with the help of Öko Fórum Fundation.
Subsidisation: the first program was subsidised by money gained in a competition and by the local government, while the second one was subsidised by FKF Zrt. and the local government. For a next program, the Environmental Protection Office set aside some sources in 2007; the future of it - as in many cases of expenses covered by local governments - is insecure.
Previous actions taken: the necessity of composting was always emphasised by the local government. Followed by contacting, Öko Fórum Fundation sent their information brochures to the Environmental Protection Office. Even before the introduction of the program, with the help of Öko Fórum, there were lectures on composting organized for the residents; nurseries and schools were given subsidy for buying composting frames by the local Committee for Environmental Protection. It wasn't the duty of the district to find a solution for selective waste collection or composting - with the program, they wanted to help the spread of environment-conscious behaviour.
The program:the first program goes on from the autumn of 2005 until August, 2007, the second one started at the end of 2006 and is going to continue until December, 2009. In the first one 197 families took part, while in the second one 175 families and 14 schools and nurseries were involved.
The program was advertised in the local newspaper and on the website of the local government. Those families who wanted to take part in the program were given 2 closed compost pots made of plastic and 2 wireworks for composting foliage. Getting the pots, everybody filled a questionnaire about the quantity of domestic green waste, then, after the first year of the program, another one on the quantity of compost stored in the closed pots and the foliage collector. At the end of the second year a similar analysis will be carried out by the local government. The analysing of the data is in process at the moment (on the summer of 2007), the data gained at the end of the second year will give valuable information. The local government and the participants made an arrangement on usage, which was as it can be read in short in the followings: the pots remain the property of the local government for 5 years, the participants will own them from the 6th year. They are in charge of any damages or loss and they accept to keep a composting diary. The agreement covers the ways and times of consultancy (via telephone or personal meetings).
Participants are provided by an extra service: at a given time they can put collected branches in front of their gates and the branches will be rattled by a company which works in coorporation with the local government.
Information: before getting the compost pots, every participants took part in a lecture on the appropriate using of compost pots and the advantages and ways of composting. Participants of the program are helped by Öko Fórum and the Environmental Protection Office in writing, by phone or personally, moreover, once in every two months there is a meeting where participants can discuss their experiences and they can meet professionals of the field of composting. These meetings have two parts: in the first one, new participants can listen to lectures which were heard by old members, while in the second part everybody will get new information. So as to give appropriate information, five employees of the Mayor's Office and five people of those taking part in composting did a course, organized by Öko Fórum. The local newspaper, the website and the meetings can give information about the reults of the program and the problems possibly arising.
Results: the program is successful, there are at least 8-10 new enquirers, who are, unfortunately, rejected, due to financial problems. More and more people are interested in composting.
The future of the program: there's a great demand for expanding the program. In case of finding financial sources, it could be continued with the participation of even more residents and educational institutions.