European Commission suggests new regulations for MBT

The proposals come in a discussion document paving the way for a Biowaste Directive, which is expected to come out of a Thematic Strategy for soils, to be adopted by September 2004.

Following a meeting in Brussels last Friday (16/01/04), European member states have been given until February 13 to respond to the discussion document, which specifically names mechanical biological treatment (MBT) as a target for new controls.

” It would be important to define conditions for the MBT process and rules relative to the use of MBT residues.“
– European Commission
Although the Landfill Directive already sets targets to reduce the amount of biodegradable waste going to landfill, the Commission is concerned that the way in which member states achieve this is largely unguided by Europe.

European member states produce between 100 and 140 million tonnes of biodegradable municipal waste each year. This includes food and garden waste – making up 30 to 40% of the municipal waste stream – as well as paper and cardboard, which forms 20 to 30% of municipal waste.

A Biowaste Directive would address treatment processes including anaerobic digestion, but in the discussion document, the Commission particularly recognised the “important role” to be played by MBT. This is a system where mixed refuse is composted, dried and separated to remove recyclable content. The process produces a low-grade “compost” which is usually either landfilled or incinerated.

Eco-dumping
The Commission document warned that the development of biodegradable waste treatment systems like MBT could lead to the “eco-dumping” of poor quality material.

Commenting on elements to be considered in a “comprehensive overview of issues and opportunities” related to biowaste management, the Commission said: “It would be important to define conditions for the MBT process and rules relative to the use of MBT residues.

“The objectives could be to clearly distinguish MBT residues from high-quality compost. At the same time, MBT process parameters could be optimised in order to reduce the biodegradability of MBT residues in case of landfilling.”

The Commission believes that providing clear standards for the treatment of biowaste more certainty would be given for private investors to put money into much-needed treatment capacity to divert material away from landfill.