Reducing biowaste from domestic waste

This practice comes from a political will of a territorial waste management trade union to reduce operational costs of household waste disposal, that were increasing each year. Prior to the project, waste was collected every week, whereas a study showed that not every household would take trash bins outside for disposal (only 10% would) or that trash bins would be only half full. Mauges Communauté has therefore implemented a waste management program, collecting trash every 15 days in an automated way and invoicing households per number and volume of trash bins treated. Thus households were financially incitated to reduce their quantity of waste.

One of the ways to reduce waste production is to remove biowaste from domestic waste. To allow households to seperate and treat their fermentable waste at source, Mauges Communauté has supplied composters. Households wishing to install a composter had to pay a contribution, 50% of the price being paid by Mauges Communauté thanks to funding from the Environment and Energy Agency (ADEME). 10,000 households have been equipped with composters. The composter came with a user guide, and an advisor was available to explain how to use it.

Today, ADEME funding stopped but Mauges Communauté continues to provide composters and to finance half for households wishing to get one. Thus the number of households with a composter is constantly increasing, and the implementation of collective composters has started.