As part of its “tridimgastro.cz” project, the Energy financial group (EFG) is putting into operation new collection vehicles with an integrated washing system for separating containers from April. The service focuses on the collection, transport and recycling of kitchen waste, mainly from municipal producers but also from restaurants. EFG is investing a total of CZK 26 million in the modernisation of the system. It will transport the sorted kitchen waste to its biomethane stations, where it will be processed into low-emission gas, electricity and heat.
The collection of kitchen waste in the Czech Republic is steadily increasing and further expansion is expected in connection with the amendment of Decree No. 273/2021 Coll. on the details of waste management, which is to be issued in addition to the Waste Act. The latter provides that Czech towns and municipalities will be obliged to provide a separate collection system for kitchen waste with effect from 2028. EFG has therefore been investing since last year in modernising its collection system to streamline collection logistics and to strengthen the waste treatment capacity of its biogas plants. The first of the new collection trucks will be operational this April.
“Our modern collection vehicles, in which we have invested CZK 23 million, will ensure not only easier collection of sorted waste, but also on-site sanitation of containers thanks to an integrated washing system. This means that containers will no longer have to be replaced with empty ones, which will significantly increase efficiency and ease the logistics of the entire kitchen waste collection process. Already this year we are planning to put into operation a total of four of these trucks, thanks to which we can increase the annual collection by more than 2,000 tonnes of waste,” says Ondřej Černý, Director of EFG Logistics.
The investment, which totals CZK 26 million, also includes the purchase of 6 large-volume containers for collection vehicles and approximately 2,500 containers for the collection of gastro waste for municipalities and towns. In addition, the new system will enable more clients to be served in one collection, which will also contribute to reducing the environmental impact of waste transport.
The “tridimgastro.cz” project is already successfully operating in more than twenty-five Czech towns and villages. Thanks to the active approach of residents to sorting, many of them, such as Šumperk, Opava and Kopřivnice, are even gradually increasing the number of collection containers. Restaurants, school canteens and catering establishments are also increasing the number of food waste separators. Last year, 3 000 tonnes of gastro waste were collected under the “tridimgastro.cz” service, and EFG estimates that this year the amount should increase to almost 5 000 tonnes. The waste is then processed into biomethane, electricity and thermal energy within the group’s low-emission system.
