Monday, 3 February 2014 02:03
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Project REPLACE advances in its mission of spreading awareness about organic waste composting with certified compostable bags
BASF, the world’s leading chemical company, together with local and international partners has initiated Project REPLACE (Restoring the Environment by promoting biodegradable Plastic Resources) in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
To create awareness, educate and engage stakeholders, educational sessions have been planned by the project initiators. Gathering key government officials, policymakers, waste management companies, representatives from Colombo Municipal Council, Urban Councils, ITIs, convertors, top hotel chains, food cities and shopping malls; the central objective of the forum is to endorse the use of certified compostable bags made with BASF’s ecovio/ecoflex to efficiently and effectively manage organic and biodegradable waste in Sri Lanka.
Western Provincial Council Minister of Agriculture, Agrarian Development, Minor Irrigation, Industries and Environment, Udaya Gammanpila was the chief guest of the second educational session which concluded today at Hotel Taj Samudra, Colombo.
As part of the project, mobile awareness stations are planned to be stationed at prominent locations in the city of Colombo, to create necessary awareness among the public about the need to dispose garbage responsibly. It also aims to inculcate the habit of source segregation of waste. Short video clips on the subject will also be screened at these awareness stations. Additionally, waste bins will be placed across the city to collect organic waste, which will then be transferred to a composting plant.
Certified compostable bags enable the hygienic collection of organic waste: they prevent liquid leaking from organic waste and keep out unpleasant odours. Additionally, as the bags are certified compostable, it can be processed immediately upon arrival at composting site, to be quickly converted into high quality compost without the need to first separate out non-organic or non-biodegradable waste. This nutrient-rich compost in turn helps improve the soil quality, treat loss of arable land and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. BASF has already been involved in several projects worldwide to demonstrate the potential of composting as a feasible and effective waste management option for organic waste.
The REPLACE project is partially financed by DEG, and implemented by BASF and ASSIST in association with the National Cleaner Production Centre.
ecovio is made of the partially bio-based ecoflex and PLA (polylactic acid). Like the biodegradable waste itself, the ecovio waste bags are completely broken down by microorganisms with the aid of enzymes.
At the end of the composting process, the microorganisms have completely converted the bags into carbon dioxide, water and biomass. The bags can help reduce the amount of organic waste that ends up in the regular garbage cans, contribute to protecting the environment and also lower the disposal costs for residual waste.
