{"id":38489,"date":"2026-05-19T15:46:08","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T13:46:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/?p=38489"},"modified":"2026-05-19T15:46:52","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T13:46:52","slug":"from-waste-to-resource-how-composters-support-the-circular-economy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/news\/from-waste-to-resource-how-composters-support-the-circular-economy\/","title":{"rendered":"From\u00a0waste\u00a0to\u00a0resource: How\u00a0composters\u00a0support\u00a0the\u00a0circular\u00a0economy\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Have\u00a0you\u00a0already\u00a0heard\u00a0that\u00a0the\u00a0amount\u00a0of\u00a0waste\u00a0is\u00a0constantly\u00a0increasing\u00a0and\u00a0that\u00a0almost\u00a080%\u00a0of\u00a0marine\u00a0litter\u00a0comes\u00a0from\u00a0land?\u00a0This\u00a0means\u00a0that\u00a0the\u00a0plastic\u00a0packaging\u00a0that\u00a0you\u00a0thrown\u00a0into\u00a0the\u00a0wrong\u00a0bin\u00a0could\u00a0end\u00a0up\u00a0on\u00a0the\u00a0beach\u00a0where\u00a0you\u00a0plan to\u00a0swim.\u00a0 It\u00a0is\u00a0becoming\u00a0increasingly\u00a0clear\u00a0that\u00a0change\u00a0must start\u00a0with\u00a0everyday\u00a0habits\u00a0\u2014\u00a0in\u00a0households,\u00a0educational\u00a0institutions\u00a0and\u00a0the\u00a0business\u00a0sector.\u00a0With\u00a0this\u00a0idea\u00a0in\u00a0mind,\u00a0the\u00a0AWASTER project \u2013 Adopting WASTE as Resource<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0<\/strong> -was\u00a0developed\u00a0to\u00a0promote\u00a0the\u00a0principles\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0circular\u00a0economy\u00a0and\u00a0waste\u00a0reduction\u00a0through\u00a0educationand\u00a0practical\u00a0solutions.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That these changes are not just theoretical is confirmed by real-life experiences. During 2024. and 2025., Sunce provided composters for use at the Makarun restaurant, the Mendula restaurant, and the Orkulice kindergarten in Sali<\/strong>. Although these are completely different environments, the result is the same \u2014 less waste and greater awareness of how we manage it. These experiences show how project goals can be translated into real life through small but meaningful changes in everyday operations. <\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Examples of composting practices in Split restaurants <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Everyone\u00a0talks\u00a0about\u00a0the\u00a0\u201ccircular\u00a0economy,\u201d but\u00a0few\u00a0explain\u00a0what\u00a0it\u00a0actually\u00a0looks\u00a0like\u00a0when,\u00a0in\u00a0 the\u00a0middle\u00a0of\u00a0a\u00a0busy\u00a0working\u00a0day\u00a0in\u00a0a restaurant,\u00a0you\u00a0need\u00a0to\u00a0manage\u00a0bio-waste. In\u00a0the\u00a0dynamic\u00a0hospitality\u00a0environment,\u00a0every\u00a0gram\u00a0of\u00a0waste\u00a0represents\u00a0both\u00a0a\u00a0cost\u00a0and\u00a0a\u00a0logistical\u00a0challenge.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At Makarun and Mendula restaurants, composters quickly became part of the kitchen\u2019s daily routine. Food scraps and organic waste no longer end up in bins as waste but become a valuable resource. Kitchen staff adapted quickly, and the devices proved simple to use and suitable for the fast-paced hospitality environment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As employees of Makarun restaurant point out, the biggest change was in mindset: \u201cWe started looking at food leftovers differently. What we once considered waste, we now see as something useful.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However,\u00a0the\u00a0experience\u00a0also\u00a0raised\u00a0important\u00a0questions. In\u00a0restaurants,\u00a0it\u00a0became\u00a0clear\u00a0that\u00a0the\u00a0capacity\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0composters\u00a0is\u00a0often\u00a0insufficient\u00a0for\u00a0the\u00a0amount\u00a0of\u00a0waste\u00a0generated\u00a0during\u00a0the\u00a0tourist\u00a0season.\u00a0Such\u00a0experiences\u00a0are\u00a0valuable\u00a0because\u00a0they\u00a0show\u00a0what\u00a0needs\u00a0to\u00a0be\u00a0improved\u00a0to make\u00a0these\u00a0solutions\u00a0even\u00a0more\u00a0efficient\u00a0and\u00a0better\u00a0suited\u00a0to\u00a0larger\u00a0users.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Education and habit change at Orkulice kindergarten <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While restaurants focus on logistics, the Orkulice kindergarten in Sali<\/strong> focuses on education. Here, the composter became a living laboratory of nature. Children participate daily in waste separation, learn about natural processes, and observe how food scraps transformed into compost are later used in the garden. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0key\u00a0activities\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0AWASTER\u00a0<\/strong>project\u00a0is\u00a0education,\u00a0especially\u00a0from\u00a0an\u00a0early\u00a0age.\u00a0The\u00a0experience\u00a0of\u00a0Orkulice\u00a0kindergarten\u00a0clearly\u00a0demonstrates\u00a0how\u00a0effective\u00a0this\u00a0approach\u00a0can\u00a0be.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The composter became part of everyday life at the kindergarten, where children develop environmentally responsible habits through play and practical application. They actively participate in waste separation, follow the transformation of food waste into compost  and use it in the garden. Through this process, they learn what bio-waste is, how nature functions, and why responsible resource management matters. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Teachers point out that children quickly adopted the new habits and even began reminding one another what belongs in the composter and what does not. Most importantly, the children became small ambassadors of sustainability<\/strong>, bringing their knowledge home and encouraging conversations with parents about more responsible environmental behaviour. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cChildren explained to their parents at home what compost is and why it is important to separate biowaste. This is a true example of intergenerational knowledge transfer that the AWASTER project promotes,\u201d emphasize the teachers of the Orkulice kindergarten<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Challenges as opportunities for improvement <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Although the experiences have mostly been positive, certain challenges were identified. In restaurants, the composter capacity often proved insufficient for the amount of waste generated by large hospitality facilities. In the kindergarten, there was a need for better ventilation solutions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nevertheless,\u00a0composters\u00a0proved\u00a0to\u00a0be\u00a0a\u00a0simple\u00a0yet\u00a0effective\u00a0solution.\u00a0The\u00a0circular\u00a0economy\u00a0does\u00a0not\u00a0begin\u00a0with\u00a0large\u00a0strategies\u00a0written\u00a0on\u00a0paper,but\u00a0with\u00a0small,\u00a0consistent\u00a0changes\u00a0in\u00a0everyday\u00a0life.\u00a0Composters\u00a0reduce\u00a0waste,\u00a0restore\u00a0value\u00a0to bio-waste,\u00a0and\u00a0encourage\u00a0behavioural\u00a0change.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\u00a0observations\u00a0gathered\u00a0from\u00a0restaurants\u00a0and\u00a0the\u00a0kindergarten\u00a0are\u00a0extremely\u00a0valuable\u00a0because\u00a0they\u00a0contribute\u00a0to\u00a0the\u00a0development\u00a0of\u00a0future\u00a0guidelines\u00a0and\u00a0solutions\u00a0\u2014\u00a0precisely\u00a0what\u00a0AWASTER\u00a0<\/strong>aims\u00a0to\u00a0achieve\u00a0through\u00a0its\u00a0activities.\u00a0When\u00a0we\u00a0stop\u00a0seeing\u00a0waste\u00a0as a\u00a0burden\u00a0and\u00a0start\u00a0seeing\u00a0it\u00a0as a\u00a0resource,\u00a0we\u00a0open\u00a0the\u00a0path\u00a0toward\u00a0a\u00a0healthier\u00a0and\u00a0more\u00a0responsible\u00a0society\u00a0for future\u00a0generations.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What comes next? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Although\u00a0the\u00a0AWASTER\u00a0project<\/strong>\u00a0is\u00a0officially\u00a0coming\u00a0to\u00a0an\u00a0end,\u00a0the\u00a0composters\u00a0will\u00a0remain\u00a0in\u00a0use at\u00a0all\u00a0participating\u00a0facilities.\u00a0User\u00a0feedback\u00a0will\u00a0serve\u00a0as a\u00a0valuable\u00a0contribution\u00a0to future\u00a0initiatives\u00a0and\u00a0the\u00a0development\u00a0of\u00a0more\u00a0effective\u00a0solutions\u00a0for\u00a0different\u00a0users.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most importantly, the project has shown that the circular economy does not begin with large systems, but with small changes in everyday habits. Practical examples like these remain an important incentive for further discussions about responsible waste management and the sustainable use of resources in local communities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"awaster-interreg-italy-croatia\"<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

AWASTER shows how composters in restaurants and kindergartens reduce waste and encourage sustainable habits in everyday life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":38434,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1190,5],"tags":[1192,383],"class_list":["post-38489","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-awaster-adopting-waste-as-resource-en","category-news","tag-awaster","tag-kompostiranje"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38489","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38489"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38489\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38491,"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38489\/revisions\/38491"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38434"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38489"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38489"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38489"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}