Development of a context-appropriate pilot composting plant in Quito, Ecuador

Virtual exchange for an organic waste treatment project in the Municipal District of Quito

Experts from the public company for integral waste management in Quito (Ecuador) and the municipal company Stadtreinigung Hamburg (Germany) exchanged their expertise on the design of a pilot composting plan.

The idea to design a sustainable organic waste management system in the Municipal District of Quito was developed in the framework of the Connective Cities dialogue event “Plastic waste - The contribution of municipal waste management to solving the problem” in Hamburg (Germany). The German municipal company Stadtreinigung Hamburg hosted in 2019 the dialogue event and nearly 40 municipal practitioners from different countries, including Ecuador, participated.

As Ecuador's second largest city in terms of population, Quito produces 2,000 tonnes of waste per day, which is deposited in the city's only landfill, El Inga, which is rapidly reaching full capacity. Almost 60 % of the waste is organic material, and about 5 % of the organic waste generated comes from the vegetable and fruit market and is deposited directly in the landfill. The waste sector alone is responsible for 13 % of the city's emissions, mainly methane emissions from the decomposition of this organic waste in the city's landfill. This challenge was one of the motivations for the professionals of the municipal waste company "Empresa Pública Metropolitana de Gestión Integral de Residuos Sólidos" (EMGIRS-EP) to apply for the event in 2019.

One of the follow-up activities from this international event resulted in the willingness to participate in an expert mission to advice on the design of a pilot composting plant to contribute to a sustainable organic waste management system in Quito. The main outcome of the exchange was the design of a concrete and context-appropriate composting plant with a capacity of 3,000 to 4,000 tons/year, with a view to possible long-term expansion if the financial resources are available (20,000 to 40,000 tons/year).

Due to COVID-19, the expert mission on site was not possible, instead, a virtual exchange took place with online and offline sessions. From April to November 2020, Connective Cities facilitated and opened a virtual collaboration space where experts had the opportunity to share materials and literature, exchange expertise and collaborate on a design for a pilot composting plant.

Some of the topics discussed during the sessions were:

  • Ecuador’s current organic waste management policy, the existing legal framework and the principles of circular economy;
  • Good practices from Hamburg and Dar es Salaam on organic waste management;
  • Identification, involvement and support of key local stakeholders;
  • Possible funding opportunities;
  • Available and required materials and resources;
  • Specifications of organic waste and space requirements for the pilot plant;
  • Composting methodologies, design requirements and emissions,
  • Machinery, tools and additional costs

The specifics of the pilot composting plant, together with other relevant aspects such as the city profile (climate, location), waste details (origin, volume, logistic), equipment, personnel, calculations, and process description were jointly put on a first design document. This document covers the current demands in Quito and lays the foundation for a possible expansion of the composting plant in the future. Furthermore, this jointly developed design serves as a starting point for improving a sustainable organic waste treatment in Quito, as it will guide the planning, implementation and operation phase of the composting plant.

The learning experiences of this exchange will be incorporated into a funding application in order to build the pilot composting plant. Stadtreinigung Hamburg has already declared its intention to provide technical support during the implementation and operational phases of the pilot composting plant if needed.

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