The Quality Protocol for compost and anaerobic digestate allows you to turn source segregated biodegradable waste into useable quality products. You can use these Quality Protocols to recover your biodegradable waste in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Biodegradable wastes include food wastes, garden wastes and cardboards. When they are segregated at source – for example, by households and local authorities – they can be collected separately as a waste stream. This can then be transformed into several valuable commodities.
The first of these is quality compost. Recycling biodegradable wastes into compost diverts an estimated average of 330,042 tonnes of waste away from landfill annually.
Alternatively, biodegradable wastes can be used to feed anaerobic digesters. These processes use the waste to generate methane which can be used as a fuel. The non-digested sludge residue (anaerobic digestate, or AD) can be used as a rich agricultural fertiliser. Using AD in this way diverts it away from landfill, equating to over 6,000 tonnes annually.
However, both compost and AD can be produced to different qualities. Some could retain their waste characteristics and would need to be regulated under the European Waste Framework Directive (WFD), and some could be of high quality and no longer waste. To help reduce these uncertainties we have developed quality protocols for both materials.
What are the benefits?
Using biodegradable wastes to produce quality compost, and creating a quality protocol for compost to reclassify it as a non-waste, has been one of the biggest success stories to date of the Waste Protocols Project.
Since the Waste Emissions Trading Act came into force in 2003, diversion of organic waste from landfill has become essential. The UK must divert 11 million tonnes of food, plant and other biowastes from landfill by 2017. The lack of clarity in waste legislation has, however, meant waste-derived compost can only be applied to land under an environmental permit or exemption regardless of its quality.
We estimate that the protocol will enable producers to sell compost to higher-value end markets, and end the reliance on using compost as daily cover on landfills. We calculate this will reduce industry costs by £139m Net Present Value (NPV), mainly in landfill tax payments, and lead to increased revenues of £35m (NPV). In total, we forecast that over 3 million tonnes of composted waste will be diverted from landfill.
Meanwhile, producing quality AD could not only divert over 6,000 tonnes away from landfill annually, it could also save over 950 tonnes of virgin materials and save almost 22,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent. This could save businesses over £214,000 in landfill costs.
The current status
Compost
The Compost Quality Protocol was published in England and Wales in 2008. In July 2010 it was up-dated to enable use in Northern Ireland. You can use this link to download the most recent quality protocol for compost.
You can use this link to download the final quality protocols for compost.
You can also download:
Find out how we regulate compost.
To find out how Northern Ireland will regulate compost please follow this link:
Anaerobic Digestate
The Anaerobic Digestate Quality Protocol was published in England and Wales in 2009. In July 2010 it was up-dated to enable use in Northern Ireland. Use this link to download the most recent quality protocol for anaerobic digestate.
You can also download:
Find out how we regulate AD.
To find out how Northern Ireland will regulate compost please follow this link:
Get involved
If you produce or recycle biodegradable wastes, compost, or AD, it is likely to be in your interests to comply with the relevant quality protocol. See above for links to the documentation.
Find out which recyclers can use your waste. A good place to start is the Waste Directory.
One key element of both protocols is that your product must be certified as being compliant by an independent, UKAS-accredited certification body. For compost, contact the Association for Organics Recycling. For AD, please contact the Biofertiliser Certification Scheme.
If you are an end user you can be assured of the quality of compost and AD which are compliant with the respective protocol. To find out where to source these materials contact the Association for Organics Recycling or the Renewable Energy Association.
More information
If you would like further help, please email wasteprotocols@environment-agency.gov.uk
