Food & GardenCologneGet a Biotonne: close the compost loop in CologneGet a Biotonne: close the compost loop in Cologne About 40% of what lands in the grey residual bin is compostable organic waste. In Niehl it is burned: costing money, CO₂, and fertile matter that could return to parks and gardens as torffreier Kölner Kompost. What you can do - Ask your landlord for the free brown Biotonne (tenants can use Zero Waste Köln’s postcard template on their project page). - Line the bin with newspaper, keep it in the shade, and skip “compostable” plastic bags: they need industrial conditions Cologne’s plants do not offer. - Buy Kölner Kompost or Blumenerde from AWB/AVG outlets (the Verein advocates more neighbourhood pick-up points). Why it matters Separate bio collection has been mandatory in Germany since 2015, but Cologne households still need to request the bin. Less bio in residual waste can mean a smaller (cheaper) grey bin.compostcircularlocal
Join inRepair & ReuseBarranquillaSegregate waste at home with Barranquilla recyclersClean streams: dignified work The ASOREBAQ recycler cooperative in Barranquilla works with local leaders on a 41-component programme: Barranquilla Composta y Cultiva, that helps households separate organics and deliver clean dry recyclables. The model mirrors recycler-led organic management in Colombia and Argentina highlighted in the 2025 regional zero-waste report. What you can do - Join neighbourhood sorting workshops run by ASOREBAQ and partner schools. - Separate organics and rinsed recyclables at home before hand-off to the cooperative’s collection routes. Why it matters When recyclers co-design collection, diversion rates rise and livelihoods are formalised, a builder-minded alternative to landfilling mixed waste.recyclingcompostsegregation
LearnFood & GardenSão PauloCompost organics with waste pickers in São PauloCatadoras and catadores lead the loop Instituto Polis and the Brasil Composta Cultiva network support community composting and organic-waste treatment, now active across ten Brazilian states, with São Paulo as a flagship hub. The 2025 regional report cites recycler participation in organic management as a top Latin American success story. What you can do - Join a compost tour or training led by waste-picker leaders in the São Paulo metro area. - Start or support a neighbourhood compost point that partners with local catadoras/es. Why it matters Organic diversion cuts methane from landfills while keeping recycler cooperatives at the centre of the system, not at its margins.compostrecyclersorganics
VolunteerFood & GardenQuitoJoin Quito's community compost and zero waste networkMunicipal tools: neighbourhood compost Ecuador’s Alianza Basura Cero documents a growing compost network and municipal zero waste ordinances residents can advocate for locally. The alliance publishes a model ordinance and maps community compost sites, from Pomasqui and Cotacachi to neighbourhood clubs such as Club del Compost in Bellavista. What you can do - Find a mapped compostera comunitaria near you and volunteer for a work day. - Ask your parish or neighbourhood council to adopt zero-waste ordinance language from the alliance toolkit. Why it matters Community compost keeps food sovereignty and soil health local while giving municipalities a replicable legal frame, reuse included, not just collection.compostordinancecommunity
LearnFood & GardenSan SalvadorGrow food sovereignty through community compost in San SalvadorGardens, organics, and mutual aid The 2025 regional chapter stresses how community compost, source segregation, recycler inclusion, and community gardens (huertos) strengthen food sovereignty in vulnerable neighbourhoods across Latin America, with San Salvador among municipalities GAIA accompanies on zero-waste pathways. What you can do - Start or join a barrio compost pile that feeds a shared garden bed. - Partner with youth groups to run organic-waste recycling workshops at schools. Why it matters When food prices rise, keeping organics in the neighbourhood loop builds soil, skills, and shared meals, not dependency on distant supply chains.gardencompostfood
RewildingVilniusSteward Antakalnis garden wildlife, VilniusSteward Antakalnis garden wildlife, Vilnius Miesto laboratorija stewards outdoor solutions: insect hotels, compost, and rainwater. Help habitat care in the Antakalnis yard. What you can do - Read tvarus sprendimai lauke - Ask about insect hotel or compost workdays - Visit Antakalnio g. 17-13 when a public slot is open How it works Habitat tasks sit in the same yard as the educational garden. Confirm open hours. Why it matters Vilnius keeps insects and rainwater in a yard neighbours can tend.vilniushabitatinsects +1
Join inFood & GardenFlorianópolisInclude waste pickers in organic waste managementSanta Catarina leads Latin America The 2025 regional report names Florianópolis / Santa Catarina as Brazil’s, and the region’s, reference for recyclers participating in organic-waste management. Waste-picker leaders host compost tours and trainings that strengthen neighbourhood sorting and keep organics out of landfills. What you can do - Join a Brasil Composta Cultiva compost tour led by catadoras and catadores in the Florianópolis area. - Separate organics at home and coordinate with local picker cooperatives on collection routes. Why it matters When recyclers co-manage organics, methane falls and livelihoods rise, a replicable model the report highlights as a top 2024 success across Latin America.compostrecyclersorganics
Starter ideaFood & GardenLyonFree Compost Drop-OffOne bin, ten households, a garden bed of soil Start a neighbourhood composting point with a single bin. Organic waste from a handful of homes can feed a shared bed by autumn. What you can do - Place a rodent-proof bin in a courtyard or alley with clear sorting rules - Rotate who turns the pile and who takes finished compost - Link the output to a community garden or street planters Why it matters Food scraps become soil instead of landfill methane, and neighbours learn what “waste” actually still contains.compostwastegarden
VisitFood & GardenCologneWhere to compost in CologneWhere to compost in Cologne Garden trimmings and woody scraps have a home at the AVG recycling yards in Niehl and Heumar, where householders deliver compostable green waste in small loads. What you can do in Cologne - Bring Grünschnitt, trunk wood, and other compostable organics in small amounts to the AVG recycling yard Köln-Niehl - Use the second public yard at Wikingerstraße 100, 51107 Köln (Heumar) when Niehl is across town - Buy KöKo bagged garden compost at the yard when you need finished soil for beds (price listed on the organiser site) - Pair drop-off with the city brown-bin collection so kitchen waste and garden waste both stay in regional loops How to join The Niehl yard lists Geestemünder Straße 20, 50735 Köln. Opening hours and fees are on the AVG site; confirm before you load the car. Commercial green-waste accounts use separate forms on the same site. This row covers the public household pathway named on the recycling-yard page. Why it matters in Cologne Cologne's bio-waste feeds large composting and digestion plants that return KöKo compost to balconies and gardens. Dropping prunings locally beats burning them or stuffing them in the residual bin. Find more community projects in Cologne. Good to know - Where do I take food scraps if I do not have a garden? This page covers garden and woody waste at AVG yards. Kitchen bio-waste belongs in the municipal brown bin; the organiser does not list a separate citizen drop for plate scraps at Niehl. - Can I buy compost the same day I drop branches? The organiser sells KöKo compost products at Niehl and Heumar; check the yard page for product names and sack prices. - Is there a composting service I can book? AVG focuses on yard delivery and commercial accounts. This entry describes the public recycling-yard path, not a paid curbside subscription.compostgreen-wastecircular +1
VolunteerRewildingSkopjeSteward Novo Lisice biodiversity, SkopjeSteward Novo Lisice biodiversity, Skopje Bostanie in Novo Lisice Park teaches compost and habitat learning beside food plots. Steward biodiversity with the cooperative. What you can do - Read the Meta.mk feature - Ask about compost or habitat workshops - Volunteer in Novo Lisice Park when slots open How it works Compost and habitat learning share the park garden. Confirm with Zelena Arka. Why it matters Skopje grows habitat skills in the same park that grows vegetables.skopjebiodiversitycompost +1
VolunteerFood & GardenColomboECO-V Metta Garden in ColomboECO-V Metta Garden in Colombo ECO-V runs Metta Garden and Eco Garden training in Colombo, teaching compost, pollinators, and organic beds for neighbourhood groups. What you can do in Colombo - Read how the garden feeds school and community meals (Urban Farm DB case) - Explore volunteer or training days listed on the ECO-V site when posted - Learn pollinator-friendly planting from the same beds urban farmers use - Pair a visit with IUCN background on Colombo urban greening (IUCN article) How to join Contact ECO-V through the programme pages for the next garden workday or training. Wear closed shoes and sun protection. Why it matters in Colombo Coastal cities need living soil as much as sea walls. Shared gardens turn food scraps into neighbourhood pride. Good to know - Do I need farming experience? Trainers welcome beginners after a short briefing. - Is there a fee? Some trainings may ask a modest materials fee; confirm on the listing. - Can groups book? Schools and clubs can inquire about dedicated sessions.organic gardencompostcolombo +2
Food & GardenTori-BossitoTurn organic waste into Maggot-Compost with soldier fliesTurn organic waste into Maggot-Compost with soldier flies In Tori-Bossito, southern Benin, the cooperative Agro-Eco Services turns animal waste and agro-industrial leftovers into Maggot-Compost. Black soldier fly larvae cut a process that can take months down to about 12 days, then the team blends the result with biochar from agricultural waste. Farmers get a nutrient-rich organic fertiliser that feeds soil life without chemical burn. What you can do - Buy or trial Maggot-Compost if you farm or garden in Benin or neighbouring countries (Agro-Eco Services) - Visit the production site in Tori-Bossito to see larvae, biochar, and bagging in one loop - Adapt the pattern: collect local organic waste, partner with a youth coop, and sell compost instead of burning residues - Read how the model scaled from a Master's research project into a regional supplier (discovery: Africa Eye) How it works Larvae rapidly break down organic matter. After harvest, the residue is mixed with biochar and sold as Maggot-Compost to market gardeners, development partners, and research projects. The coop reports serving over 2,500 clients across Benin and neighbouring countries. Contact them via the website to purchase or partner; do not treat this page as a booking form. Why it matters More than a third of farmland in Benin faces degradation. Closing the waste-to-fertility loop keeps nutrients local, cuts dependence on expensive chemical inputs, and gives young agronomists a builder pathway that restores soil.compostinsectsbiochar +2
