Biowaste Directive needs to be set as a matter of “urgency”

In its Annual Report 2003-04 the Association said the legislation will have a “profound” impact on the future of the UK composting industry.

The Directive aims to set rules on the safe use, recovery, recycling and disposal of biodegradable municipal waste, to control potential land contamination and to encourage the use of certified compost.

Soil strategy

At the moment, the Directive is part of the forthcoming EU Thematic Soil Strategy, which has been postponed since last spring, and is now expected to recommence in 2005.

Jane Gilbert, chief executive of the Composting Association said that the organisation, along with its European counterparts would be pressing on getting the Directive set as a matter of “urgency”.

“With our European colleagues, we will be looking at how the Soil Strategy is going to be developing over the next six to twelve months with the new European Commissioner in post,” she said.

Implications

Ms Gilbert said it was important to have some clear guidance soon because of the significant implications the Directive will have for the industry. “The thrust of the strategy is about the quality of compost that should be allowed to be mixed with soil.

“This will govern how compost is processed, what type of facility is used to treat it and also how it is collected, so has implications for councils and waste companies. It is going to effect long-term strategic planning for biological treatment facilities,” Ms Gilbert told letsrecycle.com.

She emphasised that Member States have a lot of investment to put in place over the next five to 10 years to meet the Landfill Directive in the areas of composting, anaerobic digestion and mechanical biological treatment. “Up to 600 new facilities are estimated to be needed over next 10-15 years. Making sure we've got a framework in place that will allow industry to deliver and ensuring we've got the outlets for the materials that they're going to be producing, from a business point of view, is crucial.”

Praise

Outgoing chairman of the Composting Association, Stuart Reynolds, commended the organisation's work with the Directive in his statement in the Association's annual report. He said that whilst UK Animal By-Products had continued to give the Association and its staff a lot of work, the focus had swung towards the trials and tribulations of the proposed “Biowaste Directive”.

The Association stated in its Annual Report that it would “continue to work with European colleagues to lobby the Commission, stressing the importance of maintaining the momentum for a specific instrument on biowaste”.

• The Composting Association's Annual Conference will take place in Warwickshire on December 1&2