FESDD is transforming a challenge (lack of formal solid organic waste management) into a business opportunity. They have convinced 400 households to sort their household waste in two bags (inorganic and organic). Then, the sorted waste are transferred to rural areas in order to produce compost with the organic waste. In the last 2.5 years, 749 tons of compost have been produced and used by approximately more than 430 coffee farmers. The success of this innovation lies in the fact that it does not only improve coffee yields and soil fertility in Kabare, but it also decreases urban insalubrity in the city of Bukavu.

Figure: Covered compost piles at the Mudaka waste processing center.

Figure: Sieving and packaging of the produced compost at Mudaka.

DIOBASS is experimenting circular with economy approaches by trying to restore soil nutrients by creating compost with organic household waste. At the moment, the organic waste is collected from 300 households in Bukavu city and from the Nyawera market, where a lot of waste accumulates. 48 tons of compost are expected to be produced every six months and sold to coffee farmers at a price of 30$ per ton. Most of the farmers hope to increase their production from 0.6 ton to 1 ton of coffee per hectare.

Figure: Waste unloading and separation at Mulungu waste processing center

Figure: Covered compost piles at Mulungu waste processing center.

GASD is producing co-compost by recovering organic waste from different sources: a) household waste (200 households) from Bukavu city, 2) waste from Katana and Kabamba markets, 3) coffee pulps from CPCK[1] (a coffee farmer cooperative) washing stations, as well as 4) human waste from ecological toilets built on the two markets (Katana and Kabamba). This co-composting innovation represents a great opportunity to increase agricultural production, but also to provide sustainable solutions to the insalubrity problems caused by accumulating urban waste. GASD expects to provide each CPCK member with one ton of co-compost at a price ranging from 20$ to 40$ per ton.

[1] CPCK : Coopérative des Planteurs de Café de Kabare

Figure: Compost piles at Kabamba waste processing center.

Figure: Ecological toilet in construction at Kabamba market.