Compostons Association, the interview

As part of our tour of France's best zero-waste initiatives, today we're off to Montpellier to pay a visit to the lovely Compostons association, which promotes community composting.

Hello Léa, can you give us a quick introduction to the Compostons Association?

Hello Vers La Terre, I'm Léa Egret, master composter. We created the Compostons association in 2017 at a time when the Ecosec cooperative where I worked for 3 years wanted to refocus its activities on its core business. The activity dedicated to bio-waste was therefore transferred to Compostons.

Our vocation is to promote and make attractive the local management of biowaste. It's an initiative for all publics, with two axes:

- Organizing events for the general public

- Installation of composters in neighborhoods (small-scale and collective)

We currently have 50 members and around 15 active members to carry out a multitude of initiatives!

Do you provide training in composting?

Yes, we regularly offer 5-day training courses for composting guides, to help them understand and pass on composting techniques, discover vermicomposting, manage dry toilets, etc..

In this regard, our next session takes place from June 24 to 28, 2019 (more details here: https://lesactivateurs.org/formation/guide-composteur-ademe-occitanie/).

What are your latest innovations?

For the past year, we've been collecting bio-waste from restaurant owners, which will soon be done on a daily basis for restaurant owners located in the city center. Composting takes place on partner farms. These include the Condamine urban farm, in Montpellier's Millénaire district, and the Halle Tropisme, for their soon-to-be-commissioned shared gardens.

But does an increase in bio-waste collection also mean a need for more structure?

Indeed, that's why a crowfunding event is planned for early June to buy a new bike and a large trailer.