- The Alchemists Lyon are the fusion between the Detritivores, installed since 2018 in Villeurbanne, and the Alchemists, Parisian start-up created in 2016.
- They collect food bio-waste from urban areas and then transform it into compost.
- Last year, they produced 30 tonnes of compost per year, but they aim to triple this figure as quickly as possible.
Since 1960, waste production has doubled in France. "More than 90% are incinerated or deported far from cities when they could be valued locally". Faced with this observation, some have decided to act to find solutions. This is the case of Alchemists Lyon who focus their work on organic waste. Or 30% of what is found in French garbage cans.
Since 2018, this SAS has been collecting bio-waste from the catering industry, i.e. all peelings and food scraps. Whether in restaurants, school canteens, hospitals, company restaurants or with caterers. The objective: to prevent them from being incinerated or transported outside the city and to use them to make compost, which is then sold to professionals (farmers, gardens, etc.) and individuals, in particular to plant the city.
To do so, the Alchemists, also present in other cities in France (Paris, Toulon, Marseille, Toulouse, etc.), provide establishments with garbage cans, which they come to collect once or twice a week. Once sent to their processing platform in Villeurbanne, the waste is sorted to verify that there are no plastic or other residues.
Then they are crushed to be mixed with crushed wood (scraps of pruning wood). "We store everything in cells (large wooden tanks) and let nature do its work," explains Andréa Ferry, development manager for Alchemists Lyon. Or four months on average.
Caluire and Villeurbanne very involved
But launching such a project on an urban territory was not won in advance. “In principle, many people agree to reuse waste. But when you are told that they will be stored near you, it is not the same, ”underlines Andréa Ferry. Fear of foul odors that could emanate from stocks or the presence of pests such as rats were among the concerns raised.
" It did not happen. We must have seen a rat for two years and for the smells, it is sure that if you put your nose in the trash it will smell bad. But there are no constant and annoying scents, "she reassures, adding that the cities of Caluire, where all the schools in the town call on the start-up, and Villeurbanne, are today "preferential partners".
The Alchemists, who collect 180 tonnes of bio-waste per year and produce 30 tonnes of compost, are actively looking for a new storage location to be able to increase their activity. And recover up to 700 tonnes of waste. "The challenge is to triple our activity as quickly as possible," concludes Andréa Ferry.
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