IFAT 2010 Josef Barth, European Compost Network ECN Biowaste in the Context of EU Legislation - The Need and Approaches for Realisation.

IFAT 2010

Josef Barth, European Compost Network ECN

Biowaste in the Context of EU Legislation- The Need and Approaches for Realisation

IFAT 2010

About the European Compost Network ECN

European Reference Point

on

Exchange of Knowledge

Exchange of Experience

Circulation ofInformation Common

Strategies

EuropeanStandards

Mech.Biol. Treatm.

Quality & Markets

Composting

Separate Collection

Anaerobic Digestion

Sustainable solutions for the organic residues stream

IFAT 2010

Raw Material Potentialand Treatment

IFAT 2010

Potential of organic waste in EU27:115 M tonnes / year

Recycling in 2008:15 M tonnes biowaste11 M tonnes green waste4.5 M tonnes digested

= 15 M tonnes compost

With separate collectioncomposting/digestion

In implementation

In preparation

only few actions

Italy3,5 M tonnes

240 sites

UK 220 sites3 M tonnes

Austria 300 compost + 400 AD sites - 1,3 M tonnes

NL 70 sites3,2 M t.

Only 1/4 of the potential -

still a long way to go

Only 1/4 of the potential -

still a long way to go

DE800 sites10 M tonnes

+4500 sitesfor digestion

IFAT 2010

Organics Recycling by Composting in Europe (2009)

Degradation of separatelycollected 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.

IFAT 2010

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)

IFAT 2010

Energy and Compost in Combination

3 grain sizes in one screeningto separate the wooden part as biomass for energy

Partial stream digestion or enlargementof existing compost plants with adigestion step

IFAT 2010

Status Anaerobic Digestion of OrganicResidues & 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)

IFAT 2010

Use of Biogas/Biomethane

80 % in Europe in decentral combined

heat and power CHP units with anincreasing 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)

-> 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)

Composting Anaerobic Digestion

IFAT 2010

Use of recycled organics on soils in EU

Organics in residual waste

Organics in residual waste

Biological Treatment - Composting or DigestionBiological Treatment - Composting or Digestion

Mixed municipalsolid waste

Mixed municipalsolid waste

Sep. collectedOrganics

Sep. collectedOrganics

Stabilisedorganics

Stabilisedorganics

Waste compost

Waste compost

Product for the market

Product for the market

Restricted application

Restricted application

Controlledapplication

Controlledapplication

Good practiceapplication

Good practiceapplication

IFAT 2010

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

Source: DBFZ according to Eurostat

Natural gas 23,9%

Mineral oil 36,4% Coal

16,3%

Nuclear power 13,4%

Renewable Energy 7,8%

Bioenergyca. 70 %

Geothermal Energy

Solar EnergyWind Power

Water Power

Bioenergyproduction

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)

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 %

IFAT 2010

Future challenge: When to do what with the biomass?

CompostingAnaerobic Digestion

Biomass for Energy

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)

Where are theoverlapping

areas?

Where are theborderlines of

the options

Source:Dr. B. KehresBGK, 2007

IFAT 2010

Biowaste Policy

IFAT 2010

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 Soilsare Poor/low in Humus

EU Soil Thematic Strategy

Communication says:

"Compost is the best source for humus/

organicmatter production"

= LOW

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.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???

IFAT 2010

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

A PUSH and PULL approach

IFAT 2010

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

IFAT 2010

Market Requires Best Qualities

Experiences of European compost producers:

+

Separatecollection of organic waste

Clean source

=

Quality Assurance

= External!! control

Quality Compost & digestate fit for use

Product status

IFAT 2010

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

EBA - European Biogas Association Avenue de la Fauconnerie 73 1170 Brussels BELGIUM

European Compost Network ECN/ ORBIT e.V. Postbox 22 29 99403 Weimar GERMANY

EEB – European Environmental Bureau Bvd de Waterloo, 34 1000 Brussels BELGIUM

FEAD - European Federation of Waste Management and Environmental Services Rue Philippe Le Bon, 15 1000 Brussels BELGIUM

I SWA – I nternational Solid Waste Association 123 Mariahilfer Strasse, 3rd Floor 1060 Vienna AUSTRIA

RREUSE - Reuse and Recycling EU Social Enterprises Rue d’Edimbourg 26 1050 Brussels BELGIUM

THE BIOWASTE ALLIANCE MEMBERS

Calling on the Need for European-Wide Legislation Covering the Treatment of Biowaste

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+

and Association of Cities and Regions for Recycling and Sustainable Resource Management ACR+

IFAT 2010

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

IFAT 2010

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

IFAT 2010

Thank you!

European Compost Network ECN e.V.

Net: www.compostnetwork.info

Email: [email protected]