letsrecycle.com provides three prices to indicate trends in costs of UK composting. The first is the typical gate fee paid by a local authority or contractor to deposit green waste at a composting facility. This will usually be a negative price, because it is a charge for disposal of the material — the composting company does not pay for the green waste. As composting gate fees can be below landfill prices (which also incur landfill tax) composting can prove a more attractive route for green waste disposal.

The second price has been added since the first in-vessel composting facilities began to gain accreditation from Defra under the Animal By-Products Regulations 2003. It indicates the gate fee at a composting facility for organic waste which may contain catering waste — otherwise known as kitchen waste. This can come from household kitchen waste collections or commercial food preparation premises and it can contain meat and meat by-products — subject to various rules, such as having been fit for human consumption before disposal. This gate fee is more expensive than for green waste because the UK Regulations require such material to be composted in carefully controlled conditions requiring specialist facilities.

The third price is an indication of the amount good quality composts and mulches produced are being sold for.

Composting is typically available in at least 3 grades: 0-10 mil, 0-25 mil and 0-40 mil.

Green / Catering Waste Disposal: £ per tonne (exc VAT)