Developed in partnership with environmental scientists from consultancy ADAS, the guidance is designed to help progress long-stalled land restoration projects which seek to recycle SOMs also known as compost-like outputs (CLOs).
The standard has been a long ambition for a number of waste management companies including Biffa, Shanks and SITA UK. But while it is expected to help with the application of SOM, the Environment Agency said it does not guarantee that a SOM will be suitable for the proposed use.
SOMs contain nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus and can be used in land restoration projects to manufacture topsoil.
However, according to the ORG, some land restoration projects have stalled because once waste is classified as mixed rather than source-separated, its potential applications are much more limited.
There has previously been no recognised guidance by which to assess the quality of SOMs, meaning that the material has often been sent to landfill instead of being recycled, causing uncertainty among investors and delays in recycling projects.
Requirements
The guidance, Separated Organic Materials (SOMs) Land Restoration End-Use Standard, states that all SOMs included in the standard must be treated to Animal By-Products Regulation (ABPR) requirements and that restored land cannot be used thereafter for agricultural production, such as livestock grazing or crop growing.
‘Whilst it does not guarantee that a SOM will be suitable for the proposed use it should help reduce occasions when proposed land treatment activities are not supported by us’
Environment Agency spokesman
Furthermore, final soil heavy metal concentrations must not exceed the maximum soil concentrations stipulated in the Sludge (Use in Agriculture) Regulations 1989.The guidance also clarifies that SOMs and CLOs are equivalent terms.
Technical director of the Renewable Energy Association which recently merged with the ORG Jeremy Jacobs, said: The Organics Recycling Group are delighted to have been involved in this industry led initiative and recognise that this will be helpful in improving the quality of SOMs. This standard should assist applicants in making their case to the regulator on a site by site basis.
No guarantee
Publication of the guidance has also been welcomed by the Environment Agency, which said the baseline standard would help improve the quality of SOMs.
An Agency spokesman said: This industry led initiative will be helpful in driving up the quality of SOMs proposed for use in the treatment of land to help improve an existing soil or create a new soil profile. Whilst it does not guarantee that a SOM will be suitable for the proposed use it should help reduce occasions when proposed land treatment activities are not supported by us.
All the members of the BioCompost Alliance, an industry group formed by ADAS in 2007 to support research and best practice in SOM use, have signed up to the new standard.
ADAS Head of Soils & Nutrients, Professor Brian Chambers said he was delighted that the Environment Agency was supporting the industry guidance.
He said: The guidance provides a baseline standard which will ensure greater transparency and confidence for industry in recovering the maximum value of SOMs when used in land restoration projects. This is an excellent outcome after several months of hard work by ourselves, the ORG and our partners across the industry.
The development of the standard was supported by Biffa, Shanks, FCC, Premier Waste, Global Renewables, SITA UK, Viridor, Leicester city council, Graphite Resources, Bedminister, New Earth Solutions and AmeyCespa.
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