The implementation of kaFsimo in Northern Greece from 2019 to today has led to the development of a methodology that:
● can be replicated in other areas and applied to other issues and materials of urban waste by the respective local bodies
● is based on the participation of the public, coffee-shops and other stakeholders, and places at its centre
● facilitates the transition to a circular economy
The project started in Kilkis in 2019, expanded to Thessaloniki in 2020 where it continues to this day in neighbourhoods across the city.
In 2022 kaFsimo started being implemented in Athens, from the Municipality of Papagos-Cholargos, while in 2023 continuing its course in the area of Petralona with the support of: the Social Corporate Responsibility program “ “LUSH Re:Fund”, the non-profit organization “Choose Love”, the Green Fund “Innovative Actions with the Citizens”, of the financing program “Natural Environment and Innovative Actions 2020” and John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation. It has also received the VIA Award 2020, and the ClimAccelerator Beyond 2022 – The Stage Gate.
kaFsimo’s activities include :
● staff training in coffee shops / catering facilities experiential learning
● collection of used coffee grounds from cafes and restaurants
● collection of household coffee grounds from central collection points
● processing of used coffee residue for reuse as bio-energy or fertilizer
● research for use of used coffee grounds in other possible ways
● awareness raising activities and public outreach and education
kaFsimo in numbers:
The implementation of the kaFsimo project has achieved impressive results through systematic training of coffee shop staff and owners, and the collection of coffee residue from cafes and households.
156 tonnes of CO2eq have been prevented from release into the atmosphere, over 1,700,000 cups of coffee have been ‘saved’ (that is, not dumped in landfill), 13.191people have become aware of issues around organic waste recycling, 474 coffee shop owners and employees have been trained on organic waste management and are recycling coffee on a daily basis and 940 members of the community have been involved in depth in public education activities and are involved in organic waste recycling.
The most important result of these combined activities is that 93% of the participants state that they now have the knowledge and willingness to separate organic waste from other materials. They have fully understood the rules and necessity of the proper use of the brown bins, and are ready to use them for the organic waste of their business.
