Composting

Composting

The aim of the European Landfill Directive is to achieve a major reduction in the amount of biodegradable municipal waste (BMW) going to landfill.

Composting

The aim of the European Landfill Directive is to achieve a major reduction in the amount of biodegradable municipal waste (BMW) going to landfill.

The Composting Targets Are As Follows –

• By 2010 it has to be only 75% of that produced in 1995
• By 2013 it has to be only 50% of that produced in 1995
• By 2013 only 35% of the 1995 amount will be allowed to go to landfill

As a result of these targets many councils have set up municipal green waste composting schemes; the fact that the Quality Protocol for Compost came into force in the spring of 2007 gives councils an opportunity to turn what previously was seen as ‘waste’ into an actual product which can be marketed. The Protocol de-regulates compost from a waste to a product by setting certain standards that have to be adhered to in order for the compost to be marketable.

Composting:

Composters have to comply with the PAS100 standard if they want to be accredited as reputable compost producers. This is the British Standards Institution’s ‘Publicly Available Specification for Composted Material’.

There is another standard which many composters use – the Apex certification – as a means of proving the quality of their product. Apex was formed by the coalition of three of the UK’s largest waste management companies and a horticultural organisation, and the aim was to achieve a valid quality mark to validate the launch of their own compost brand.

Composting at home and as a community is crucial to the UK meeting the targets set; and less material going to landfill means less methane generation affecting global warming.