Urban community composting has the potential for significant environmental and economic benefits, according to the findings of a research project conducted by Ballymun Regeneration Ltd.
The research project followed the implementation of an organic waste-composting project, which was set up within an urban apartment development in Ballymun, and run over a two-year period. The trial used in-vessel composting technology to process household organic waste.
The compost produced was used in horticultural trials at the Botanic Gardens in Dublin where it was analyzed to confirm chemical, physical and nutrient composition. Potential applications and marketing opportunities for local compost use were also assessed and defined.
The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) research and innovation programme, STRIVE, funded the research.
Dr Brian Donlon of the EPA’s Office of Environmental Assessment said, ‘The research demonstrates that community composting works and is an effective and environmentally sound waste management option for organic waste in urban environments. The project has established that community composting initiatives, if established in all apartment developments in Dublin alone, have the potential to divert almost 15,000 tonnes of organic waste from landfill each year.’
