Atterbury Europe and its partners across the different territories are embracing eco-friendly practices. In Serbia, UŠĆE Shopping Centre has invested in a new compost machine to take its waste-management to a new level. Jovana Cvetković, Development, TO and Innovations Director at MPC Properties, gives the background.

What prompted the investment in this technology at UŠĆE Shopping Centre?
We believe it is very important to have an efficient waste-management policy, as part of a wider sustainability strategy, since shopping centres and office buildings generate large amounts of organic waste. As a part of our green strategy we are introducing composting within the UŠĆE mixed-use complex, as well as in the company’s CSR activities. The estimated reduction in CO2 emissions is 10 toe (tons of oil equivalent) per year.

By including composting into our already established recycling practices, MPC Properties shows that it’s a socially responsible member of the local community that adapts its business model to a green approach by reducing its carbon footprint and greenhouse gas emissions. The project will also contribute to the strengthening of the green labour market, as well as to knowledge-sharing through various educational workshops, training and promotions. Serbia has a national goal for 2030 to reduce GHG emissions by 33.3% compared to 1990 through fuel-switching in research and development activities. We are doing our share and also supporting a just green transition within the green agenda and decarbonisation process in the country.

How does the compost machine work exactly? What is the compost made of and what is it used for?
The machine will process the organic waste generated in the UŠĆE Shopping Center as well as in office buildings UŠĆE Tower 1 and Tower 2 and turn it into valuable compost, which reduces the need to manufacture fertiliser. UŠĆE complex has 16 000m² of green areas where 96m³ of organic waste is generated annually. In the first phase, we will include just the green areas around this complex in the composting project, while in the second round, the food and beverage tenants will be involved too.

The process is similar to regular composting but without harmful methane emissions. Our compost machine digests any kind of organic waste, cellulose-based disposables, and various plastics within 24 hours. This reduces weight and volume of the collected waste by more than 85%. It digests the waste exclusively with oxygen, substantially lowering greenhouse gas emission by having on-site operations that mean no more need for garbage trucks.

Is composting commonly done by businesses in Serbia?
The innovation of this project is reflected in the new business model, which involves the treatment of waste at the place where it is generated. So far, we are the only real-estate company in Serbia that is implementing composting within its business operations.

The procurement of the UŠĆE compost machine was supported by the UNDP project “Just Green Transition and Decarbonisation in Serbia”, which was funded by The Embassy of Japan and implemented by the UNDP Serbia in cooperation with the Ministry of Mining and Energy and the Ministry of Environmental Protection of the Republic of Serbia and with strategic partnership with Serbian Chamber of Commerce.

Green projects are examples of innovative solutions implementing scaled, circular economy processes at the micro level of a building and closed sustainable solutions on the asset level, projects that are in accordance with the Green Agenda in Serbia.

What are the next steps in getting UŠĆE mall “green”?
MPC Property’s strategic approach is to invest in green projects and ESG initiatives related to environmental protection, social inclusion, and governance. The UŠĆE Go Green project’s next phase will consist of multiple projects:

• Installing a PV solar plant with 300kW generating power on the UŠĆE SC rooftop
• Two additional DC E-vehicle chargers in the UŠĆE SC garage
• A green roof and urban garden with rainwater harvesting
• Air turbines on the UŠĆE SC roof in cooperation with Institut Mihajlo Pupin
• Installing a power energy harvester in the UŠĆE SC garage, also in partnership with Institut Mihajlo Pupin.

Will this technology also be rolled out elsewhere in Atterbury Europe’s assets?
We have successfully rolled out a similar programme in Romania, where we invested in compost machines for each of our malls.