While local composting is increasingly practiced by individuals and groups, the year 2024 marks a turning point in this practice, with the obligation for local authorities to sort and recycle biowaste at source on January 1. To meet this challenge, composting is the most economical and ecological solution. And the job of composter-guide is here to help!
Definition
A guide-composter is an ambassador for the prevention and local management of household and similar biowaste. He or she is primarily involved in domestic biowaste management operations in the local community, as well as shared (semi-collective) and autonomous composting operations in the workplace. He or she informs and educates the general public about composting practices, maintenance and alternatives, through workshops, visits to composting facilities and stands. Composting guides can be salaried employees (in associations, companies or local authorities) or volunteers.
Missions
The role of a composter guide is to inform and raise awareness among all types of public, mobilize local players and run practical prevention and shared management operations. They help set up domestic biowaste management operations, and provide support and management for composters. They often work in close collaboration with a master composter, who is responsible for rolling out a composting policy on a local scale.
NB: To become a master composter, you need to be a certified guide composteur and have practised for several months.
Necessary skills
Composting guides require a wide range of skills. ADEME has listed them as follows:
- Knowing and practicing ecological garden and household management
- Identify and use information sources and teaching tools adapted to the situation and target audience.
- Communicate orally and pedagogically on knowledge related to home composting, natural gardening, mulching, slow-growing species, animal feed, etc.
- Organize demonstrations and practical work for the general public and schoolchildren.
- Participate in setting up a domestic (and in some cases shared or autonomous) management operation: define the most appropriate technical and material solutions, supply and install the equipment as well as start it up, and support and advise users on how to get to grips with and use the equipment, and how to change their practices.
- Check that the equipment is working properly
- Maintain an installation monitoring dashboard
Portrait :
Fanny, Composting Guide:
"When I reoriented myself towards the job of waste prevention coordinator, I quickly realized that the Composting Guide training course was often in demand, both in the associative sector and for offers from local authorities. These three days of training enabled me to broaden my knowledge and skills not only in composting, but also in the prevention and management of plant waste directly in the garden. I particularly appreciated the human “soil” of these training courses, which were conducive to meetings and exchanges of practices between waste prevention organizers... In my opinion, this is a real plus when it comes to finding a job in this sector!"
Where to train?
There are a number of training centers in France where you can learn to become a Guide Composteur-rice, all of which are listed on the Réseau Compost Citoyen (RCC) website! The Humus & associés association is one of the first training centers in France to offer Guide Composteurs training courses, in Toulouse and the Occitanie region.