The fight against climate change is closer than we imagine. One of the simplest and easiest things to do to reduce your environmental impact is to compost. Around 40% oflossolid urban wastegenerated in a home average corresponds to the organic fraction. That is to say, a considerable part of the waste generated is biodegradable residues easily convertible into nutrient-rich fertilizers through composting.

For the use of this waste, the municipalities have been incorporating the fifth container in towns and neighborhoods for years, to carry out a selective collection of the organic fraction. The installation of the fifth container has meant an increase in the recovery of the organic fraction of urban waste. This has led to the reduction of this matter in the containers of the remains fraction. A clear example is Bilbao< /a> which has increased 176.3% in the recovery of organic matter compared to the previous year and has gone from 371 to 1341 brown containers. However, this translates into some 25,415 homes, a figure that is still insufficient considering that the town is home to almost 350,000 inhabitants.

It must be taken into account that the organic matter of all those families that do not use compost bins or the brown container (fifth container) is deposited in a landfill or incinerated. Both options are bad for the environment and contribute to global warming. That is why removing the organic fraction of the waste that reaches the waste containers is an indisputable benefit for the environment.

Thanks to the selective collection of organic matter, through the fifth container, or even more successfully through the door-to-door system, several municipalities are already complying with the State Law 22/2011 transposing the Waste Framework Directive of the European Union. This law establishes the objective of recycling 50% of the waste generated by 2020. A once again the fifth container becomes a fundamental ally for compliance with said law.

Composting efforts have to be redoubled. More awareness campaigns must be carried out to get more families to participate since the benefits of using the fifth container are multiple, both for society and for the environment:

  • Payment of garbage collection fee is reduced
  • Citizen participation is encouraged
  • Jobs are created
  • Citizens become aware of environmental issues
  • The fraction of remains is reduced (waste that goes to a landfill or incinerator)
  • Air, water and soil pollution is reduced
  • The effect of climate change is mitigated
  • Biogas and energy are obtained
  • Natural fertilizer is obtained