Composting market “must expand by 15 times” to meet targets

The Association warned that new outlets for composted organic waste would be needed if the EU Landfill Directive targets are to be met.

” If we don't have a quality product there's no point in composting at all. “
– Stephen Wise-Merry, SITA UK
Speaking at a seminar at Letsrecycle Live yesterday, Association development director Jeremy Jacobs said: “If composting increases in line with targets to divert biodegradable waste from landfill, it will increase 15 times by 2020. This is a huge expansion and increases the need for new markets.”

Mr Jacobs identified agriculture as one key market the industry needed to capture. He said: “Agricultural land covers 28% of the UK, which offers us huge potential.”

Maggie Newton, marketing manager for the organics programme at the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), identified other potential areas for growth in the market.

She said: “At WRAP we aim to open up the brownfield market, where compost can be used as a soil improver and topsoil. We also hope to expand the use of composting in landscaping to cover sports amenities.”

Both speakers recognised the need to sort out the classification of compost as a “product” rather than a “waste”, a product that is “manufactured” rather than a waste that is “disposed of”, in order to shed its unsavoury image among potential users.

Mr Jacobs said: “The 'waste' connotation has created a lot of problems for end users' perception of what we're trying to do.”

Another speaker, Stephen Wise-Merry, of SITA UK, said there was still work to be carried out on composting standards to safeguard a “product” status for composted material.

He said: “The waste compost question is a huge problem facing the industry. If we don't have a quality product there's no point in composting at all. Existing standards are a good starting point but we need to be able to ensure “product” status by taking standards further and working with industry, regulators and customers.”