As at: November 2006

Ensuring quality composts Europe-wide
Federal Environment Ministry continues its efforts and submits report on European workshop on biowaste on 31 May to 1 June 2006 in Brussels

In ecological terms, compost and fermentation residues from separately collected biowastes have tangible advantages. On the European level, however, they are only gradually gaining more importance. There is support for the recycling of unmixed biowastes not only in the Federal Republic of Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and Belgium, but also increasingly in Southern and Eastern EU Member States, e.g. Italy, Spain, the Czech Republic and Hungary where almost a blanket system of composting plants is being set up. Several Member States are realising that recycling biodegradable materials is ecologically and generally also economically sensible.

In this context, last spring's initiative of the four Member States Spain, Portugal, Austria and Germany, aiming to win support from the EU Commission and the other Member States for a European biowaste directive, is a move in the right direction. In order to discuss the separate collection of biowastes and their use as biowaste compost or fermentation residues with the other Member States and to contribute to a Europe-wide expansion of separate collection, Austria, Spain, Portugal and the Federal Republic of Germany organised a workshop from 31 May to 1 June 2006 in Brussels with representatives from Member States, relevant municipal and industry associations and a large number of representatives from the scientific community. About 150 people participated in the workshop including representatives from 20 Member States, MEP Blokland, several representatives of the EU Commission and representatives of the relevant environmental and waste management associations from the European and national levels.

The individual contributions to the workshop have now been summarised in a report. The report is available for download or can be ordered as a CD from Division WA II 4 of the Federal Environment Ministry.

Further information:

• Four-country initiative on high-quality composts

All documents available in English:

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