EU program installs computerized waste composter in Upper Galilee community

Composter will treat up to 20 tons of organic waste, monthly.

By SHARON UDASIN
The new composting plant in Kfar Hanasi, Israel (photo credit: ENPI CBCMED)
The new composting plant in Kfar Hanasi, Israel
(photo credit: ENPI CBCMED)
A computerized waste-composting plant is now serving the kibbutz of Kfar Hanassi in the Upper Galilee, thanks to a European Union environmental project.
The composter, capable of treating up to 20 tons of organic waste a month, is the first of six such facilities to be installed in the Upper Galilee under the framework of the SCOW (selective collection of the organic waste in tourist areas) project.
In addition to partaking in an awareness-raising campaign that accompanied the composter’s installation, Kfar Hanassi residents are presently receiving door-to-door organic waste collection services, the project coordinators announced on Monday evening.
“When we started the campaign, about 40 percent of people living in the community used to sort and recycle waste,” said Itzik Ben-Dor, who manages recycling activities in Kfar Hanassi. “Today we are close to 90 percent. For instance, our kindergarten became green, with the kids making their own compost.”
SCOW is funded by the Cross-Border Cooperation in the Mediterranean (CBCMED) program of the European Union’s European Neighborhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI).
Administrated by the Urban Ecology Agency of Barcelona, SCOW includes participants from Italy, Malta, the PA, Israel and France.
Installation of the composting plants in the Upper Galilee is taking place with the support of the Israeli Environmental Protection Ministry, the project’s coordinators said.
“The composter uses a traditional technique to treat the waste. The organic material is biodegraded through an aerated system,” said Moshe Shalit, who represents the SCOW project in Israel.
The entire system, he explained, is controlled by a computer.
“At full capacity, the composter should serve about 1,500 inhabitants, as well as local business like tourist attractions, hotels and restaurants,” Shalit said.