Restaurants without garbage: the silent revolution of AbonoKm0

We talked to Miki Royan, co-founder of AbonoKm0a pioneering urban composting project in Barcelona that is revolutionizing the way restaurants manage their organic waste. From its origins in a community garden to becoming a network that provides real solutions to the hospitality industry, AbonoKm0 demonstrates that sustainability is not only possible, but also profitable and necessary.

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Origin and impact of AbonoKm0

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How was AbonoKm0 born and what is its mission?

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AbonoKm0 was born literally from the ground, in an urban garden in Barcelona where I met Diego, my partner. I was coordinating volunteer days and he came from making content on YouTube about home composting. We are both unconventional engineers, and not having the space to compost at home, we decided to create a community compost for the neighborhood.

After working with more than 400 households, we decided to scale the model to the commercial sector. It was then that we designed a comprehensive urban composting system: the Urban Composting Network, based on logistical efficiency, bicycle transportation and citizen collaboration.

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What has been the biggest challenge in implementing composting in restaurants?

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Undoubtedly, regaining trust. We come from decades where waste was simply "garbage". Opaque management, skepticism and lack of commitment have eroded faith that it can be done better.

Curiously, it is the grandmothers and grandfathers of our "urban tribe" who remind us that this used to be the norm: the remains returned to the earth. When we tell them what we do, their eyes light up. It is the calm of recovering coherence.

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Circular economy in catering

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Are restaurants in Spain ready to adopt a circular model?

More importantly, the customer already is. Today, the consumer votes with his money, his posts, his hashtags. They are more informed and engaged. If the industry doesn't go along, it gets left behind.

Restoration also has tools: digitization makes it possible to measure, record and learn from benchmarks. And if you don't know where to start, there are consulting firms like The Rest that can help you.

There was a lack of suppliers who could "walk the mile". That is why AbonoKm0 was born: to meet this tangible need.

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What benefits does a restaurant get from working with AbonoKm0, beyond the environmental impact?

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Have you ever calculated the hidden costs of poor waste management? Hours washing bins, time wasted "taking out the trash", expensive bags (0.5-1.5 € each), unmotivated staff turnover... It all adds up.

Our service includes clean bins, door-to-door collection and no bags. That alone pays for itself. In addition, you reinforce your ethical image, and the customer appreciates that.

But we go further: we deliver carbon footprint reduction reports and customized compost packages with your logo. They can be used to build staff loyalty, surprise customers, redeem for reviews or support neighborhood gardens. We turn your restaurant into an environmental hero.

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Composting and waste management in the hospitality industry

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What mistakes do restaurants make when trying to be more sustainable?

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They focus on plastic and forget about organic waste, which is the most polluting if it is not well managed. When it rots in landfills it emits CO₂ and acid gases that pollute water and release microplastics.

But if properly treated, it becomes compost, a regenerative resource that repairs environmental damage. There is no other waste that has so much potential. Betting on composting 100% of the organic waste is giving back to the earth what it gave us, with great environmental, educational and communicational impact.

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How is the legislation on organic waste progressing in Spain?

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Since 2022 we have a new Waste and Contaminated Soil Law. Regulations are still missing, but it is already noticeable: municipal taxes are going up, because Europe has prohibited subsidies for them.

This forces 100% of the real cost to be passed on to the consumer. Conclusion? Whoever adapts first and is efficient wins. The same with the CO₂ footprint: since 2024 large companies are obliged to measure and improve it. It will soon reach SMEs.

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The future of sustainability in gastronomy

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Is it feasible for all restaurants to compete in the near future?

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Absolutely. This is our vision: that the city stops extracting resources from the countryside and returning waste, and starts generating high quality fertilizers that regenerate soils impoverished by industrial agriculture.

Food waste compost is far superior to industrial compost made from manure. We are already doing this with a replicable and scalable model.

And what is needed? More media like this, consulting firms like theRest, and better tax incentives or bonuses. If we add tax advantages to the environmental and economic benefits, we can make a hat-trick and win the championship.

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What role do the new generations of chefs and restaurateurs play in the transformation to a more sustainable model?

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Today's chef doesn't just cook: he leads. He has environmental, social and economic impact. As Ferran Adrià said: "We don't need more cooks, we need more kitchen entrepreneurs". Whoever does not understand this, is left out.

Fortunately, the new professionals are coming on strong: informed, committed and attentive. We see it in the workshops we give in culinary training centers. There is a team.

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Final reflection

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A tip for restaurants that want to get started, but don't know how?

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Ask your customers: What do they value? What can you improve? They know more than we imagine. Sustainability is broad, but the important thing is to take the first step in the right direction.

And remember Pareto's law: 80% of the impact comes from 20% of the actions. Find out what those few key actions are... and get started.

That's right: the tangible always beats the Power Point. A package of personalized organic compost is worth a thousand words. It is a gesture of truce with the earth.

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