CIEC Composting Pilot Program: 2nd Edition
The CIEC Composting Pilot Program aims to raise awareness and encourage citizens to take part as promoters of the circular economy, in this case through collaborative projects for the sustainable use and management of waste, such as community composting of organic waste. Through small hands-on projects, the goal is to apply local solutions to circularity processes, monitoring results and collecting data for future phased pilots, so that this experience can be replicated and adapted in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), schools, residents’ associations, and different districts and neighborhoods of Madrid. For more information, email sbnlabinclusivo@ciecmadrid.es
Format: In person
Location: CIEC (Calle del Prat 59)
Level: Basic (no prior knowledge required).
Duration: 2 hours per month for 5 months.
Program Topics:
The program will begin by explaining what the circular economy is and how composting works: the step-by-step process, the materials and resources needed, and how to organize a successful pilot project for composting organic waste.
Speaker: Team from the CSIC Institute of Agricultural Sciences (ICA).
This session will focus on the problems that may arise during the composting process and how to solve them. With the collaboration of the team of experts from Composta en Red (a network of local authorities across Spain that run home and community composting initiatives), we will also look at models and success stories of community and educational composting in different settings and towns across the country.
Speaker: Beatriz Marín de Castro, biologist and head of the Composta en Red Technical Office
Participants will see first-hand an innovative research and urban composting project carried out in the heart of Madrid by the team at the CSIC Institute of Agricultural Sciences (ICA-CSIC), through a visit to the project. The team of experts will share their experience and explain the impact of composting on improving agricultural soil and on sustainable food production.
Speaker: Team from the CSIC Institute of Agricultural Sciences
The team behind the inclusive educational program “The Inclusive Circular Lab”, which brings together composting schools from the Community of Madrid, will talk about composting as an educational tool and a way to promote science through citizen science. Participants will also learn about the fauna that lives in the compost bin and the essential role of micro- and macroorganisms in transforming waste.
Speakers: Gerardo Urios, biologist at Land Studios Consulting, and the Green Solutions team of The Inclusive Circular Lab educational program
The final session will analyze the project’s impacts and achievements in order to learn how to scale up the composting pilot project. With the support of Vermican, a company specializing in composting, participants will learn how composting can create economic opportunities, whether by promoting circular efficiency in waste management, generating green jobs, selling compost, or launching a business model, among others.
Speaker: David Morales Hernández, Manager of Vermican Soluciones de Compostaje SL (Navarre)
