Zero-waste gardens in Parma: green waste is being turned into compost. And waste taxes could be reduced. For everyone.

Green waste that becomes natural fertilizers. In the city. Waste that decreases and urban gardens that grow. In every neighborhood. Lower taxes on garbage e cleaner air. For everyone. This is the summary of the project «Zero waste gardens», made by the Municipality of Parma to eliminate the costs of transporting and disposing of waste materials from community gardens, managed directly by citizens.
The initiative concerns approximately 2000 Guests, assigned to plots of land located in the Emilian city. Each is committed to managing the green waste produced through composting, which takes place on site. This triggers a virtuous cycle, which is part of the cycle ofThe circular economy, involving the garden management associations and a social cooperative, which deals with the management of the composters through the sharing of tools (composharing).

ZERO WASTE GARDENS PARMA

Garden users are thus encouraged to spread the benefits of green composting beyond their own gardens, promoting the importance of recycling. The Municipality of Parma pursues two objectives:

• Reduce green waste by 100% and the wet waste produced in the city's social gardens through efficient management
• Favor the diffusion of a recycling culture virtuous of vegetable waste.

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ADVANTAGES OF THE PARMA ZERO WASTE GARDENS PROJECT

In addition to these objectives, typical of urban sustainability and city living, the project also offers a clear social benefit . The idea of ​​sharing green spaces through groups and associations, which municipal administrations typically struggle to maintain due to a lack of human and financial resources, is growing. And sharing, as the "Do Not Waste" philosophy teaches, is the gateway to caring for the common good, for what belongs to everyone and that everyone is called, in some way, to preserve.

ZERO WASTE COMPOSTING IN PARMA'S GARDENS

The "Zero Waste Gardens" composting areas are equipped with bins designed for the intelligent sorting of garden waste . Once users visit the facilities, they find various compartments designed to separately collect woody waste, which is shredded, and green waste. The two types are then mixed and composted. The bins are progressively filled to produce compost piles at different stages of maturity. Once the composting process is complete, the resulting soil is periodically distributed free of charge to garden allotments, which they can use on their own land.

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SOCIAL GARDENS IN ITALY

 The phenomenon of the social gardens. Therefore, the project implemented in Parma can be replicated in other regions. All urban farmers, in fact, have to deal with operations such as cleaning of foreign matter, sifting, and turning. These produce a significant amount of plant waste, which can become a valuable natural fertilizer.
Through the composting process, the mechanisms of degeneration of organic matter that occur through the action of microbial flora are artificially reproduced under controlled and accelerated conditions. The product of this process is the compost, commonly called "potting soil", which is used as a fertilizer because it naturally promotes the composition of the soil. This determines a circular economy model applicable in any municipality This guarantees a twofold benefit: producing less waste and efficiently managing waste materials, thus reducing the burden on taxpayers. This truly benefits everyone.

The project is competing for the 2019 Non Sprecare Award. To learn more about the competition and participate, go here!

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