COMPOSTING AS A SUSTAINABILITY STRATEGY: EXPERIENCE REPORT ABOUT THE ZERO ORGANIC WASTE PROJECT

Abstract

This study aims to present the project “Lixo Orgânico Zero in Lages - Santa Catarina”, identifying composting as a sustainability strategy. This initiative that was built within the scope of the Agroveterinary Sciences Center, of the State University of Santa Catarina (UDESC).For this, the present study was supported by the technique of documentary research and oral history. The project that formally started in 2004, first as a vegetable garden project that used organic compounds for its production, and later, in mid the 2010, it has developed as a simple composting method for the sustainable disposal of organic waste generated in households and organizations. Thus, it has reached supporters throughout the state of Santa Catarina, originating in the municipality of Lages, where it is developed in partnership with the city hall. However, the project is already proving efficient in other municipalities in the state, as is the case in the cities of Chapecó and Ibirama, with the latter having already implemented the method in all its state and municipal schools. Integrating the dimensions of the Triple Bottom Line (TBL), the project was nationally recognized and awarded by Instituto Lixo Zero Brasil for representing an important sustainable initiative in Brazil. In this context, the composting method recommended by the project represents a sustainability strategy that can be developed in households and urban organizations, as well as in rural properties.