France Bordeaux
Loss and waste

Récup (Recover), a composting solution for apartments in Bordeaux

Associative

Récup'(Recover)

< back to initiatives

Context

At the origin of the Recup’project, a double observation: in urban areas, it is impractical to recycle organic waste, while in rural areas soils are depleted. This gave rise to the idea of ​​facilitating the sorting and reuse of bio-waste from people living in apartments, to benefit peri-urban market gardeners whose demand for organic matter is high.

The first objective of the project was to create a virtuous loop going from the trash to the plate by a soft mobility waste collection system and the creation of a link between consumers and producers :  consumers give their waste to market gardeners and in turn the latter privilege those consumers when they sell their production.

Project leaders

The idea of the Recup’ project was developed  between March and May 2018 by a young team of five students (Alexandra, Gabriela, Alexis, Federico and Jean-Baptiste) who trained to embark on this adventure. After a test phase between September and December 2018, Recover was officially implemented in February 2019 in Bordeaux and in April in Le Bouscat.

Project

In exchange for membership in the association, Recup provides a bucket of Bokashi kitchen composter bucket that works with the addition of Efficient Micro-Organisms (EM). They collect your bucket by electric bike as soon as it is full. The waste is then sent to their partner market gardeners who will use it for their fruit and vegetable production. At the end of the chain, the goal is to be able to offer members baskets of produce from these market gardeners, delivered to their homes.

Too add to their skills, experiences and training, the Recup’ team was fortunate to benefit from various support programs including that of La Ruche Bordeaux, intended for women entrepreneurs (Les Audacieuses) and of which Alexandra was a winner, as well as 'ETICoop and the Cap'AM system of France Active Aquitaine.

The project also obtained the support of various corporate foundations, including the Air Liquide Foundation, which enabled them to invest in good quality bicycles, the Natures et Découvertes Foundation, the Léa Nature Foundation, and the Veolia Foundation. who awarded the Prize of Student Solidarity to Recup'. Finally, a partnership with the city of Bordeaux and the Maison Écocitoyenne enabled the device to be tested free of charge for more than 40 Bordeaux households until December 2019.

The multidisciplinarity and the size of the team facilitated the start of the project. Gabriela was responsible (remotely) for the entire graphic charter, Alexandra for communication, Alexis and Federico for managing members and Jean-Baptiste for grants. Since February, however, it is mainly Alexandra, Federico and Jean-Baptiste who have been working on the project (communication, partnerships, pickups ...) and whose calves have never been so solid!

They were joined for a period by two civic service volunteers, Lucas and Ana, whose assistance was invaluable.

Equipped with three electric bikes, the Recup’ team collected over 5 tonnes of organic waste and drove some thousand kilometers or more (we no longer count ...), now knowing the streets of Bordeaux by heart, collecting eight Bokashi on busy days.

The Bokashi Method

The Bokashi method is also one of the special features of the project. An alternative to conventional composting, it works in fermentation, with the addition, to each layer of bio-waste, of a thin layer of wheat bran enriched with Efficient Micro-Organisms (EM).

The Efficient Micro-Organisms are an assembly of nearly 80 micro-bacteria and fungi (including lactic acids, micro-yeasts or photosynthetic bacteria), which will influence the microbiota in which they are "beneficial".

The advantages of this method for the recovery of organic waste are numerous:

  • there is no smell when the bucket is closed. This is perfect for apartments. And it does not attract pests (midges for example);
  •  it is possible to recover Bokashi juice regularly. It can be used as a fertilizer for plants if diluted or directly in the pipes to degrease;
  •  it is possible to put in it any type of organic matter, citrus, meat, dairy products, eggshells or even garlic, with the exception of large bones, liquids and faeces (such as litter boxes) ;
  • once incorporated in soil, the fermented organic matter turns into humus in just three weeks.

Results

Today, nearly 250 people and 6 companies use Recup’ to recycle their organic waste, which is sent to a market gardener in Tresses, near Bordeaux. 

Need: loan or donation of a utility van to transport the buckets to the market gardener

Offer: donate members' bio-waste for agricultural needs.

Written by Clémence Guignard, volunteer LFC - May 2019. 

Last modification : 01 Aug 2020.

Récup'(Recover)

215 Cours de la Marne 33700 Mérignac France

Récup (Recover), a composting solution for apartments in Bordeaux !

Contact