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Planting event and guided tours at the EAD composting plant on March 29, 2025
The municipal services department of the City of Darmstadt (EAD) invites you to an open house at the composting plant at Eckhardwiesenstraße 25 on Saturday, March 29, 2025, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The event will feature guided tours of the new carbonization plant and the popular planting activity using regional "Darmstadt soil.".
Guided tours of the carbonization plant and practical tips on composting
Visitors can learn more about biochar production during guided tours. Employees of the EAD (Essen Waste Management Authority) will explain on-site how green waste from the city is carbonized and what benefits biochar offers for gardens, the environment, and the climate. They will also answer questions about organic waste, composting, and the use of garden and potting soil.
Planting campaign: Planting balcony boxes with Darmstadt soil
A highlight of the day is the planting event, where visitors can have their own pots and window boxes planted at affordable prices. The Aumühle nursery from Wixhausen provides a selection of seasonal plants. The plants are planted in "Darmstadt soil," a mixture of 80 percent garden soil and 20 percent biochar, suitable for various soil types and improving the soil environment.
Hands-on activities for children and seed exchange
For children, there's a creative activity: they can plant their own cress in old egg cartons using soil from Darmstadt and paint them for Easter. A seed box will also be available on site for exchanging different plant varieties – a contribution to promoting biodiversity.
Biochar as a contribution to climate protection
City treasurer André Schellenberg emphasizes the ecological importance of the carbonization plant: “The structure of biochar makes it possible to store water and nutrients and bind pollutants. In this way, biochar increases the resilience of plants to climate change and sustainably reduces the amount of CO₂ in the atmosphere by many tons per year.”
Biochar is used in a variety of ways – in horticulture, agriculture, livestock farming, as bedding, cat litter or filter material.
Presentation at the organic gardening fair
Further information is available in the presentation “Darmstadt Biochar – Our Joint Contribution to Climate Protection” by Klaus Maier, Head of Waste Management at EAD. This will take place on March 29th and 30th at 3 p.m. at the organic gardening fair in Kranichstein Hunting Lodge.
