From the 6th to the 9th of october took place the first visit by a dutch expert on implantation of composting techniques, Mr. Adrie Veeken, to deliver an introductory seminar on that topic, and establish possible common initiatives together with the romanian beneficiaries to test the feasability of different alternatives and start to raise the awareness of the population of the region.

After a first day of preparation of the seminar together with Mrs. Mihaela Ambarus, responsible in the REPA for the area of waste management, it actually developed in the city of Botosani, with the attendance, apart from REPA, LEPAs and NEG, of representatives from the County Council of Botosani, of a municipality of this county, and of several school directors which are promoting in their schools the educational programme based in practical composting (started in the previous Twinning project, Phase I). The subjects presented and discussed were, among others:

-          Presentation of several strategies for prevention and minimization of waste, and of selective collection, in The Netherlands: historical evolution, good and bad experiences, conclusions.

-          Biodegradable waste management in The Netherlands.

-          Principles of composting and composting quality: necessary conditions for the degradation process to take place, and for an obtention of a final product of the right quality.

-          Composting processes at different scales (domestic, in farms, in large-scale plants): presentation of them, and comparison among them. Criteria to select them as an alternative for a given province.

-          Awareness through educational programmes of compost production in schools.

-          Uses and marketing of the compost produced.

-          Possibilities for the region North-east, and proposals for the following seminars / workshops.

The materials presented can be downloaded below.