Waste Minimization by Using Biopots in Retail Trade
Abstract
The Swiss NAPAC AG, has developed a flower pot only made of renewable resources, which is biodegradable and can also be composted. This Napac-NaturePot is suitable for all garden, bed or balcony plants. The pot can be planted into soil together with the plant and degenerate there or the empty pot is discarded to be composted. Either way no waste is generated and therefore the total amount of restwaste from gardening is reduced. The focus of this project is put on the following topics: - Suitability of the Napac-NaturePot in practice (production, distribution, retail, marketing, etc.) - Test sales of plants in plastic pots and plants in Napac-NaturePots - Survey of Viennese populations knowledge, acceptance and opinions on this product - Determination of the amount of waste prevented by using the biodegradable pots A market analysis surveys the current choice of biodegradable plant pots (NaturePot and competitive products). The waste prevention potential by use of biodegradable pots is deduced by determinations of the amount of accrued plastic pots. As data base statistical data as well as interviews with experts are considered. Two large garden centres in Vienna carried out the test sales. Each offers garden, bed, and balcony plants in NaturePots for sale. The stalls where these plants were sold provided additional information material (flyers and posters) for customers about the NaturePot itself and instructions for use. Sales data of plants sold in NaturePot are compared with data of similar plants sold in common plastic pots. Furthermore, standardised, oral on site inquiries about biodegradable pots are done. Customers of the garden centres and Viennese households with garden are questioned. Additional data about similar inquiries on other cities are available for comparison.
Project staff
Stefan Petrus Salhofer
ao.Univ.Prof. Dipl.-Ing.Dr.nat.techn. Stefan Petrus Salhofer
stefan.salhofer@boku.ac.at
Tel: +43 1 47654-81342
Project Leader
01.03.2003 - 04.11.2003
Peter Beigl
Dipl.-Ing.Mag.rer.soc.oec. Peter Beigl
peter.beigl@boku.ac.at
Tel: +43 1 47654-81314
Project Staff
01.03.2003 - 04.11.2003
BOKU partners
External partners
NAPAC AG
coordinator