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Rostock (Germany) supports the City of Bizerte (Tunisia) in building a composting plant
Overview
The City of Bizerte (Tunisia) introduced the separation and composting of organic waste, in cooperation with the City of Rostock (Germany). During a dialogue event and two reciprocal delegation trips, the idea for the project was jointly developed by experts from Rostock and Bizerte. With funding from the 'Partnership Projects for Sustainable Local Development (Nakopa)' programme of the Service Agency Communities in One World (SKEW), a composting plant was built and commissioned at the end of 2020.
Initial Situation
With a steadily increasing population (approx. 115,000 inhabitants) and growing numbers of tourist visitors, the Tunisian port city of Bizerte faces major challenges. Municipal services find it difficult to keep pace with these rapid developments. The waste management sector was identified by the city as a specialised area with particularly high potential for learning and improvement. More than half of the waste is organic. Uncontrolled methane emissions resulting from the decomposition of this organic waste in the municipal landfill were significantly worsening the city's greenhouse gas balance. Besides optimising waste separation and collection, there was also a shortage of technical expertise in organic waste treatment.
Learning Experience
The Hanseatic City of Rostock and the Tunisian port City of Bizerte had already established contact with each other in 2015.
At the Connective Cities dialogue event 'Planning integrated solid waste management at the municipal level' held in Rostock in September 2016, the City of Bizerte presented the status of its waste management planning. Experts from Rostock and Bizerte jointly analysed Bizerte's exact needs. During the meeting, other international experts in municipal waste management helped to develop the project idea: reduce the amount of waste by collecting organic and green waste separately, and build a composting plant.
Funding opportunities from the Service Agency Communities in One World were also presented at the Connective Cities event. The City of Rostock then successfully applied for a six-month grant from the Service Agency's Small-Scale Projects Fund.
In February 2017, the two cities also signed an official partnership agreement, in which they undertook to establish and maintain friendly relations.
Project Ideas
The six-month funding period was used to further refine the project outline and make it ready for implementation. To this end, a delegation of experts from Rostock travelled to Bizerte in February 2017 to gain a more detailed picture of the actors and their responsibilities in waste management in the Tunisian port city. They were able to get to know all the relevant local partners in person, and take a closer look at the quantities and types of waste generated.
In July 2017, the partners used the return visit of the City of Bizerte to Rostock to define the first steps of the project and to clearly divide the responsibilities between the two sides. In a first step, it was agreed to find a suitable location for the plant and to have it professionally assessed. The City of Bizerte undertook to provide a plot of land for the project.
Activities
The expertise provided by Rostock was already incorporated into the first pilot composting operations during Phase I.
Furthermore, the Hanseatic City of Rostock, in cooperation with its waste management utility Stadtentsorgung Rostock, an association of private specialist companies and the University of Rostock, applied for financial support for the composting plant under the 'Partnership Projects for Sustainable Local Development (Nakopa)' programme of the Service Agency Communities in One World. This was already approved in 2017. It was used to develop the plans for the construction and operation of a composting plant in Bizerte.
In a second phase starting in 2018, the actual plant was built, with expert advice from Rostock. The University of Rostock is providing the partners in Bizerte with its expertise and technical support. The solar-powered composting plant was integrated into a tree nursery, and a water well was modernised as a water source for composting. The facility also has a room for public relations.
The continued operation, including personnel costs, will be ensured by the City of Bizerte sustainably.
Perspective
The project between the two partner cities ran until the end of 2021, with delays due to COVID-19, and was completed to the satisfaction of both project partners. The green waste composting plant is a national pilot project that is to be adopted by other Tunisian municipalities. Training on composting is taking place at the site.
The commissioning of the composting plant will reduce the volume of waste at the general waste landfill by 1,000 tonnes per year, and drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The waste is being turned into a resource. The compost – about 700 tonnes annually – will increase soil fertility in the region and improve water storage capacity. It will also help mitigate the effects of climate change on agriculture in the region.
more information
Published: 07/04/2022
Contact
Uwe Hempfling
Staff of the Climate Protection Control Centre in the Office for Environmental and Climate Protection
Hanseatic and University City of Rostock
Tel.: +49 (0) 3 81 381-73 52
Photos
Categories:
Integrated urban development
Cities and climate change
Municipal services
Solid waste management and recycling
Regions:
Africa
Tunesien
Bizerte
