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
Exchange of
Experience
Exchange of
Knowledge
Circulation of
Information
European
Reference Point
on
European
Standards
Quality & Markets
Separate Collection
Composting
Common
Strategies
Anaerobic Digestion
Mech.Biol. Treatm.
 Sustainable solutions for the organic residues stream
IFAT 2010
Raw Material Potential
and Treatment
IFAT 2010
With separate collection
composting/digestion
In implementation
In preparation
Potential of organic
waste in EU27:
only few actions
115 M tonnes / year
Recycling in 2008:
15 M tonnes biowaste
11 M tonnes green waste
4.5 M tonnes digested NL
70 sites
= 15 M tonnes compost 3,2 M t.
UK
220 sites
3 M tonnes
DE
800 sites
10 M tonnes
+4500 sites
for digestion
Italy
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.
IFAT 2010
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
residual waste
Mixed municipal
solid waste
Sep. collected
Organics
Biological Treatment - Composting or Digestion
Stabilised
organics
Waste
compost
Product for the
market
Restricted
application
Controlled
application
Good practice
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
Natural gas
23,9%
Solar Energy
Wind Power
Nuclear
power
13,4%
Water Power
Renewable
Energy
7,8%
Mineral
oil 36,4%
Coal
16,3%
Bioenergy
ca. 70 %
Bioenergy
production
in 2007
4000 PJ/y
=
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
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Future challenge:
When to do what with the biomass?
Composting
Where are the
overlapping
areas?
Anaerobic
Digestion
Biomass
for Energy
Source:
Dr. B. Kehres
BGK, 2007
Where are the
borderlines of
the options
Germany: 10 mio. t of organic waste from households, gardens- + parks
Ca. 8.0 mio. tons
Composting
(biowaste, garden- &
park waste)
Ca. 1.0 mio tons
Anaerobic digestion
(wet biowaste, catering
waste, grease trap)
Ca. 1.0 mio. tons
Biomass incineration
(Garden & park
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
IFAT 2010
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 Biowaste 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.
IFAT 2010
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
collection of
organic waste
Clean source
=
Quality
Assurance
= External!!
control
Quality Compost &
digestate fit for use
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
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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 José 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???
IFAT 2010
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