Biowaste in the Context of EU Legislation

- The Need and Approaches for Realisation

Josef Barth, European Compost Network ECN
IFAT 2010
 About the
European Compost Network ECN

Circulation of
Exchange of Information Common
Experience Strategies

Exchange of European European

Knowledge Standards
Reference Point
on

Separate Collection Quality & Markets

Composting Anaerobic Digestion Mech.Biol. Treatm.

Sustainable solutions for the organic residues stream
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Raw Material Potential
and Treatment

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 With separate collection
composting/digestion
In implementation
In preparation
only few actions
Potential of organic
waste in EU27:
115 M tonnes / year UK
220 sites DE
3 M tonnes 800 sites
Recycling in 2008:
10 M tonnes
15 M tonnes biowaste
11 M tonnes green waste +4500 sites
for digestion
4.5 M tonnes digested NL
70 sites
Italy
= 15 M tonnes compost 3,2 M t. 3,5 M tonnes
240 sites
Only 1/4 of
the potential -
still a long
way to go Austria 300 compost + 400 AD sites - 1,3 M tonnes
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 Organics Recycling by
Composting in Europe (2009)

Degradation of separately
collected organic wastes
of housholds, gardens,
parks and commerce
Ca. 2000 sites of which
40 % treat only green waste
Annual capacity -> 22 Mio. t
Additionally around 800 small agricultural co-composting plants
mainly in Germany and Austria
Large potential for agricultural composting in accession countries
and Austria, Scandinavia, Ireland, Spain and Portugal
Target: Manufacturing of a PRODUCT for fertilisation, soil
improvement and humus management.

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 Green/Garden Waste Composting
Greenwaste composting in open windrows is state of the art in
all European countries with very differing approaches from
200 t/y small scale up to 70.000 t/y high specialised
composting companies producing high price growing
media, potting soils with peat replacement
It is the main composting type for source separated organics
in Finland, Denmark, UK, Irland and France
Examples of treatment capacities:
- 3,0 mio t Germany - 1,7 mio t Netherlands,
- 1,0 mio t France - 0,4 mio t in Sweden and
- 0,4 mio t in Belgium (Flanders)

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 Energy and Compost in Combination

3 grain sizes in one screening

to separate the wooden part
as biomass for energy

Partial stream
digestion
or enlargement
of existing compost
plants with a
digestion step

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 Status Anaerobic Digestion of Organic
Residues & Feedstocks in EU (2009)

Target: Production of biofuels (Sweden, Switzerland),

renewable energy and and organic fertilisers.
100 large AD sites with 4,5 million tons capacity
for organic waste - post composting recommanded

Additionally 5000 agricultural digestion and

co-digestion sites (mainly Germany, Austria) for
organic waste, agricultural residues and energy crops)
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 Use of Biogas/Biomethane

80 % in Europe in decentral combined

heat and power CHP units with an
increasing external use of the heat.

Power generated is mostly sold to

public grid as "green energy"

< 20 % biogas upgrading to

biomethane mainly Sweden
and Switzerland and Austria) as
fuel replacing fossil natural gas.

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 Status of MBT and
MSW Composting/AD (2009)

Composting Anaerobic Digestion

-> Treatment of residual waste without or after

separate collection by composting or digestion
mostly to stabilise it before landfilling

280 plants - 18 million t/year = ? 3 million t compost

mainly in Italy, Germany, Austria (France, Spain)
Target: Production of organic material (WASTE!) which can be
used in restricted areas (= Mixed Waste Compost MSWC)
or with very low organic matter content which is suitable for
landfilling (= Stabilised Biowaste SBW or SOF or CLO)
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 Use of recycled organics on soils in EU

Organics in Mixed municipal Sep. collected

residual waste solid waste Organics

Biological Treatment - Composting or Digestion

Stabilised Waste Product for the

organics compost market

Restricted Controlled Good practice

application application application

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 The Role of Bioenergy
(Wood, Wooden Residues, Biogas, Organic Waste)

EU-Directive for renewable Energy (EU RED)

- Increase of the renewable energy portion up to 20 % in 2020
- Increase of the biofuel portion in fuel up to 10 %

Geothermal Energy
Solar Energy
Natural gas Wind Power
Nuclear
23,9% Water Power
power
13,4%
Renewable Bioenergy
Energy Bioenergy production
7,8% ca. 70 % in 2007
Mineral 4000 PJ/y
oil 36,4% Coal =
16,3%
ca. 25 % of
the potential

Structure of the primary energy consumption in the EU27 in 2007

(ca. 75.600 PJ/a)
Source: DBFZ according to Eurostat IFAT 2010
 Future challenge:
When to do what with the biomass?
Source:
Dr. B. Kehres
Anaerobic BGK, 2007
Composting Digestion

Where are the Biomass Where are the

overlapping for Energy borderlines of
areas? the options

Germany: 10 mio. t of organic waste from households, gardens- + parks

Ca. 8.0 mio. tons Ca. 1.0 mio tons Ca. 1.0 mio. tons
Composting Anaerobic digestion Biomass incineration
(biowaste, garden- & (wet biowaste, catering (Garden & park
park waste) waste, grease trap) residues, residual wood)

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Biowaste Policy

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 Why Increase of Biowaste Recycling
in Europe?

Key policy drivers in Europe

EC Landfill Directive which requires up to 65%
diversion of organics in waste from landfilling
EC Soil Protection Strategy/Soil Biodiversty
EC Climate Change Programme
EU Renewable Energy/Biomass Targets

Additional drivers
- Recycling of valuable resources e.g. Plant nutrients
(Phosphorus!!!, Nitrogen) and organic matter for
soils)
- Peat replacement
- Cost savings delivered by waste/landfill taxes
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45 % of the European Soils
are Poor/low in Humus

= LOW

EU Soil Thematic
Strategy
Communication says:
"Compost is the best
source for humus/
organicmatter
production"

IFAT 2010
 Potential Offered by Optimisation of Bio-
waste Management & Possible Benefits
CO2 savings potential 10 - 50 Mt of CO2 (including
prevention)
Soil improvement potential between 3 - 7% of
agricultural soils could be improved
Potential for renewable energy maximum 7% of
2020 target if maximized energy production at cost of
recycling
Potential to meet biofuel production targets = 42 %
- if the bio-waste is subject to anaerobic digestion and
biogas is used as biofuel
Recycling of resources Nutrients P & N and organic
matter. Phosphor reserves only for 70 years!
Landfill Directive diversion targets Remove of
organics before landfilling (65 % until 2016!)
Source: European Commission DG Env.

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 Approach for Needed Changes

Rethinking is needed in policy, in economy, in commerce

and public towards:
ORGANIC RESOURCES MANAGEMENT!
Sustainable and effective management of our resources in
closed loops will become the key factor for the future.

But: European Commission, DG Environment concluded in

May 2010 as result of 2 years scientific evaluation in an
Impact Assessment on the need of bio-waste legislation:
"no policy gaps that PREVENT Member States from taking
appropriate actions " and therefore "no need to promote
biowaste recycling through a European legal instrument".

Question: Does this conclusion reflect common practice and

successful developments in the European waste sector???

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 So, what do we need to realise the
biowaste recycling benefits?

A PUSH and PULL approach

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 Market Pull

Compost & digestate marketing is

confidence marketing

Range of value added products

Marketed to various sectors

Achieving customer confidence

Standardised high quality product
Independently controlled
Clean source material
Status: Confidence of both private and professional
customers requires SEPARATE COLLECTION

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 Market Requires Best Qualities

Experiences of European compost producers:

+ =

Separate Quality
collection of Assurance Quality Compost &
organic waste digestate fit for use
= External!!
Clean source control Product status
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 Regulatory Push

Binding targets drive the recycling sectors

E.g. targets in the Landfill Directive (!!), Packaging and
Packaging Waste Directive and renewable energy sources
in RES-Directive
Only targets and legislation have led to investment in
infrastructure and changes in practices

Regulatory bridge needed to implement Article 22

(Biowaste) in the WFD and provide framework for
sustainable biowaste recycling
Targets for biowaste treatment incl. provisions for separate
collection needed to drive this

Example approach in Sweden

NATIONAL target for 35 % of separately collected
biowaste sent for biological treatment
A very flexible approach can be applied to most
appropriate situations in the Member States IFAT 2010
 THE BIOWASTE ALLIANCE MEMBERS
Calling on the Need for European-Wide Legislation
Covering the Treatment of Biowaste

and Association of Cities and Regions for Recycling

and Sustainable Resource Management ACR+
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 Member States Expectations:
The Bio-waste Coalition

Established in 2006

Members: Austria, Blegium, Cyprus, Czech

Republic, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Italy,
Portugal, Slovakia and Spain

Demanding for legislative measures on EU level

on biowaste in form of a Biowaste Directive which
include binding targets

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 The European Parliament's Vision
on Bio-waste

In April 2010, the MEP Jos Manuel Fernandes stated that

he: Urges the Commission to review the legislation
applicable to bio-waste with a view ... to drawing up a
proposal for a specific directive by the end of 2010.

This was also confirmed by the Environment Committee of

the Parliament in May and June of this year with a very
clear vote for a stand alone Bio-waste Directive and a
mandatory separate collection of biowaste.

Question: What do we need more???

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 Realising the Bio-waste Recycling Vision

Sustainable Bio-waste Policy and Legislation enables:

Framework for both public and private sectors to plan
and invest
Collaboration and integration of recycling systems
Critical mass and adequate returns on investment
Innovation
Reduced economic, social and environmental risk
Gaining confidence of market and consumers
Successful biowaste recycling across the EU27 through
targets and quality assurance systems

Targets QAS Markets

IFAT 2010
 Thank you!

European Compost Network ECN e.V.

Net: www.compostnetwork.info
Email: Info@www.compostnetwork.info

IFAT 2010