Free chickens are being given out to people in a French town to reduce food waste
A French town is giving its residents free chickens to help get rid of waste more sustainably.
Colmar, in northeastern France, is offering each household two free red hens to be used for composting.
Authorities there have calculated that the animals can devour around 300 grams of waste a day – about 100 kilograms annually.
Families have until March 24 to apply and those who are considered eligible will recieve the new additions on June 10, local media reports.
People have to prove they will be able to house and care for the birds and accept that authorities have the right to visit and checkup on their welfare.
Colmar has been handing out chickens for environmental reasons since 2015 and the drives have taken place twice a year since.
Chickens help with disposing of waste by eating foods that would otherwise end up in landfills.
They can also be used to physically work the compost by scratchinig and tearing at pile.
On top of this, they add their own droppings to the waste, adding to its nutrients.
France has made it compulsory for all local authorities to provide households with a way to compost by next January.
Several areas have opted to offer free worms instead of chickens, including Paris which holds regular worm composting bun distributing campaigns regularly.
Others deliver a wooden composter or an individual worm composter for €10. Several will send these materials (and others) to homes for free.
Organic waste in landfills generates greenhouse gases which are harmful to the environment, including methane.
Composting reduces the amount of waste that ends up in landfills and helps people grow plants and vegetables, reducing the need for chemical fertilisers.
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