And, use of the standard has recently been complicated by the decision of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency which has changed its end of waste criteria for compost and digestate from AD processes.
Until now, resources body WRAP has lead the way on revisions to the standard which is owned by BSI. But, WRAP has now backed away from reviewing the standard as it focuses on other topics for its charity work. Instead, the Renewable Energy Association’s assurance organisation (REAL), which runs the certification scheme for PAS100, is to administer the revision process. The Renewable Energy Association includes the Organics Recycling Group, formerly known as the Composting Association, which pioneered work on PAS100.
Benefit
REAL claimed that “new criteria for recycled compost will benefit the organics recycling industry.” And, it added that the revision “will ensure the standard reflects the latest developments in the industry.
The revision process will involve stakeholders in industry, academia, and not-for-profit sectors across the country who will be invited to attend stakeholder meetings and workshops to discuss proposed changes.”
Virginia Graham, chief executive of Renewable Energy Assurance Limited (REAL) said she hoped the revision resulted in a “revised standard that is up-to-date and responds to the changing policy and market context.”
The PAS100 specification was developed in 2005 and REAL said this was a “major milestone” for the UK’s organics recycling industry. However, in 2005 the Environment Agency dismissed the standard as merely a “marketing tool” for compost (see letsrecycle.com story) with the criticisms rebutted strongly by the composting sector.
Farmers
There are now over 170 certified processes producing 1.8 million tonnes of compost per annum. And, the standard is widely recognised by farmers and growers and is accepted by schemes such as the Red Tractor farm food assurance scheme.
Explaining more about the revision, Justyna Staff, who runs the Compost Certification Scheme at REAL said that the need for the revision had come about because of policy changes and also because a number of useful reports had been published which examine the test methods that are used and comment on physical contaminants.
Contaminants
Mrs Staff said that despite the fact that contaminants would be a topic for discussion under the review process, “we don’t receive many comments from the Red Tractor scheme or farmers in the NFU.”
She explained that physical contaminants could be light plastics or metals. “But there are other parameters we may be discussing such as stones in compost. How much is too much and how big can they be for different sizes of industries?
In terms of the current scheme, Mrs Staff explained that the compost producers are inspected at least once a year and that they also have to send regular samples of compost for laboratory testing.
It is hoped to publish the revision in March or April 2018.
More information
The overview of the revision process and information about the meetings is available on the CCS web site at http://www.qualitycompost.org.uk/standards/pas100
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