On Monday, October 21, 2019, a public forum on composting was held in the hall of the County Chamber of Economy in Split, where visitors could hear numerous interesting facts about the practice of separate collection of biodegradable waste on the island of Krk and about the program “Dalmatia Green” – ecological certificate for private renters of the Association for Nature, Environment and Sustainable Development Sunce.
Technical director Dejan Kosić of the utility company of the island of Krk – Ponikve eko otok Krk d.o.o., said in his lecture that the separate collection of waste on Krk started in 2005, and last year as much as 55 percent of waste was collected separately – through the “door-to-door” collection system for fractions of paper, plastic and glass. Equipping all households with two types of containers: brown for biodegradable waste and green for mixed municipal waste contributed significantly to such a high percentage. Since 2017, containers for plastic and small metals, paper, cardboard and tetrapak, and glass have been distributed to all households. Some of the indirect benefits of such a waste management system are reduced unemployment and savings on utility bills. In addition, the island of Krk is becoming an ecologically acceptable tourist destination thanks to the separate disposal of waste, emphasized Dejan Kosić.
The public composting plant on the island of Krk produces first-class compost from biowaste from canteens, catering and tourist facilities, households, grape and olive processing, and gardens and parks. It is also planned to upgrade the composting plant, so that third-class compost can be obtained by purifying the sludge from waste water. The removal of biodegradable and green waste, as well as other fractions of waste from the settlements on the island of Krk, is regulated by the removal calendar for each type of fraction.
The Executive Director of the Sunce, Gabrijela Medunić-Orlić, introduced the audience to the “Dalmatia Green” program of environmentally responsible management, which was established as a response to the negative impacts of tourism on the environment, especially during the summer months. As part of the program, a certificate was presented for private landlords who decided to “green” their business. To obtain a certificate, it is necessary to meet a certain number of criteria. One of them is “reduction of waste generation, separate collection and recycling of waste”, which includes garden composting (if the facility has a garden) and separation of at least two types of waste. Bio-waste should be deposited in cardboard bags or a container for the temporary collection of bio-waste (“Organko”), the contents of which are then emptied directly into the composting site.
