First in-vessel composting plant wins PAS 100 approval

The 30,000 tonne per annum capacity Ecopark in Edmonton, North London takes waste from north London boroughs and is run by Oxfordshire based composting firm Agrivert.

Agrivert's compliance director, Susan Relf, celebrates at the Edmonton in-vessel plant

Commenting on the approval, Emily Nicholls, technical manager at the Composting Association said: “This is an important milestone for the composting industry in the UK and demonstrates that, when composted according to good practice, catering waste has the ability to make good quality compost.”

Alexander Maddan, Agrivert’s managing director said: “Part of our service contract with LondonWaste is to produce a PAS 100 product. Having supplied the technology and operating expertise we were confident that the plant would produce the product required by PAS 100.”

PAS100 is the British Standards Institution’s Publicly Available Specification for Composted Materials.

Although Agrivert is the first in-vessel composter processing catering and green wastes to be certified PAS100 compliant, Ms Nichols said that a number of other in-vessel composters processing catering and animal by-product wastes have applied for certification.

Protocol
This Edmonton approval means LondonWaste could be in a position to comply with the Quality Protocol on Composting, when it comes into play later this year. The Protocol specifies PAS100 as the standard necessary for composters to qualify their compost as a “product” rather than a “waste”, thereby avoid legal waste controls for its use and storage (see letsrecycle.com story).

Agrivert told letsreycle.com: “It is an achievement for both companies and it shows that it is entirely possible for in-vessel composter to produce a genuine product.”

David Sargent, managing director of LondonWaste – the waste firm owned by SITA UK and the North London Waste Authority- said: ‘This achievement is certainly a significant milestone in confirming the EcoPark’s reputation as an integrated centre which promotes and practices recycling and the sustainable management of London’s waste stream.”

Brian Coleman, chairman of North London Waste Authority said: “I am delighted that LondonWaste Ltd has achieved this certification and I will be encouraging the use of compost in public parks and gardens in North London to help build a more sustainable future.”

The Agrivert system gained State Veterinary Service (SVS) approval in 2005 becoming one of the first large scale In-vessel composters to become Animal By Product Regulations compliant.