Promoting environmentally sustainable development in three Slovak municipalities

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The prevention of biodegradable municipal waste was achieved by procuring 1 754 garden composters, each with a capacity of 800 litres, reducing the amount of waste production in the municipalities of Malé Leváre, Kostolište and Studienka.Peter Vrablec, Chairman of the Board, Association of Municipalities of Enviropark PomoravieThe project’s objective was to increase the rate of waste recovery for the municipalities of Malé Leváre, Kostolište and Studienka. Located in the Malacky district, in the eastern Bratislava region of the Slovak Republic, they are part of the Association of Municipalities of Enviropark Pomoravie, an environmental non-profit organisation that led the project.Reducing waste productionThe 1 754 garden composters were distributed among the households of the three municipalities. Each garden composter has a capacity of 800 litres. Together, they have relieved local waste processing facilities of over 1 400 cubic metres of waste of processing capacity.The project helped resolve several problems caused by biodegradable communal waste, such as illegal dumps in the municipalities. Residents can now process their own green waste in the composters instead of, for example, burning it in their own backyard or having it collected together with mixed waste.Re-using biodegradable waste as compostProcessing biodegradable communal waste results in quality organic compost, which can be used in gardens, saving residents money they would have spent on fertilizer. The municipalities’ waste collection services can pick up any surplus compost and use it for green areas. In doing so, the project not only reduces the amount of produced waste, but also prepares a substantial portion for re-use, further promoting environmentally sustainable development.The Association of Municipalities of Enviropark Pomoravie represents eight municipalities in the Bratislava region, in the east of Slovakia: Gajary, Veľké Leváre, Malé Leváre, Kostolište, Jakubov, Láb, Studienka and Závod. All eight are located in the Malacky district.Total investment and EU fundingTotal investment for the project “PBMWC-AMEP – Prevention of biodegradable municipal waste creation - Association of municipalities of Enviropark Pomoravie” is EUR 195 900, with the EU’s Cohesion Fund contributing EUR 166 515 through the “Quality of Environment” Operational Programme for the 2014-2020 programming period. The investment falls under the priority “Sustainable use of natural resources through development of environmental infrastructure”.