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In Cërrik, a city in the center of Albania, 300 tons of green waste per year are no longer burned or sent to incinerators, but are transformed into fertilizer, thanks to a composting center supported by the EU.
This sustainable solution is helping to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, lower costs, and support local farmers. This initiative provides the city not only with a cleaner environment, reducing its impact on the environment and increasing revenue opportunities, but also helps farmers grow crops, as the waste is transformed into fertilizer.
The Composting and Recycling Center in the Municipality of Cërrik is located among the green fields on the outskirts of the city, where once was the waste collection area. Built as part of the EU project for the Circular Economy and Livable Cities, it also prevents the decomposition of organic materials that would otherwise produce methane, a gas 20 times more harmful than CO2.
Twice a week, a small truck collects green waste: branches, garden clippings, greenhouse waste, and seasonal pruned branches from families, along with low vegetation and grass. During spring and autumn, the amount of collected waste fluctuates due to seasonal activity. As a typical agricultural area, most of Cërrik’s waste is organic and green waste. A team of five trained employees at the center supervises several laboratory tests on the final product, confirming that it is safe and high-quality material to be used as fertilizer.
The composting process involves several stages, from the collection and storage of organic material to the final decomposition stage.
Initially, the waste is shredded, reducing the branches to almost ground material. Then it is covered and turned several times over a period of 5-7 months, regularly moistened with water and monitored for temperature – which must reach 65°C to eliminate any present seeds and ensure that the material is as sterile as possible. Finally, the material is screened and the mixture is sold to farmers as fertilizer, reducing their need to buy artificial alternatives.
“We process only a portion of Cërrik’s waste, but initially, we did not realize how much green waste we actually had. Now, citizens are more aware – they no longer burn green waste or throw it in trash bins. They leave it near the garbage bins for us to collect. In this way, we benefit several times from this material. First, by not burning it, we avoid creating pollution. Then, we save the costs of sending it to the incinerator. And finally, we compost it and sell it. When we calculate the direct and indirect revenues, we see that we cover the operational costs of the center, including staff salaries and maintenance, while also creating a cleaner city,” explains Enea Tacja, Director of the Public Services Agency in the Municipality of Cërrik, describing how this initiative is financially self-sustaining.
The composting center is expected to be equipped with a new shredding machine with a capacity of 30-50 tons per hour and a larger, self-loading and self-unloading truck, equipped with a crane — enabling it to expand coverage to a larger area of Cërrik. The facility is also capable of composting food waste, although collecting it has proven difficult due to the lack of source separation of waste.
From the sustainable Mesopotamian gardening recorded on clay tablets to Japan’s Bokashi method, from Greek, Roman, and Egyptian composting with pits to Germany’s Hügelkultur system, and up to modern practices, humanity has long sought ways to make cities more livable by treating waste responsibly.
Composting reduces the need for chemical fertilizers, increases soil moisture retention, prevents soil erosion, supports plant growth, reduces plant mortality rates, saves money, prevents the formation of greenhouse gases, mitigates climate change, improves water quality, and, overall, provides economic, environmental, and social benefits that enhance our quality of life.
The EU project for the Circular Economy and Livable Cities is co-financed by the European Union (EU) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), and is implemented by GIZ Albania in cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism and Environment (MTM). The project supports Albania’s transition to a circular economy and empowers municipalities to build sustainable cities of the future. It contributes to improving public health, creating green jobs, and better energy efficiency. (June 6)