International Review of Waste Management Policy - Department of ...

36.0 Product Standards: Biowaste Treatment
Products - International
36.1 Outline of Policy
Standards are applied to the production of compost and digestate (hereafter referred
to collectively as Biowaste Treatment Products or ‘BTPs’) in order to protect human
health and the environment and in addition, to reduce transaction costs associated
with compost sales through improving consumer confidence. Large quantities and
repeated applications of BTPs, combined with the use of arable land for fodder
production, ensures that the question of risk plays an important role in shaping
regulation of compost production and use. 692 Alongside the setting of statutory
standards associated with health and environmental protection, voluntary quality
standards also exist in a number of countries that go beyond the precautionary
requirements of the regulators, to ensure that the quality of the product meets the
demands of the market i.e. is tailored to the end-user requirements. 693
Standards are typically set according to a number of criteria including the feedstocks
used, potentially-toxic elements (PTEs), organic contaminants, hygienisation
principles and physical impurities. Underpinning the production of BTPs in the EU is
the Animal By-Products Regulation (EC) n o 1774/2001 (the ‘ABPR’), notably amended
by Regulation 208/2006, which provides detailed hygienisation rules (timetemperature
regimes, process validation requirements, biological tests) for
composting and biogas plants that treat animal by-products as part of their input
material.
36.2 Where Has the Policy Been Applied and Why?
Standards for BTPs exist throughout the EU, as well as in other parts of the world
such as Australia, Canada, USA and New Zealand. Only Germany, Austria, the
Netherlands, Italy, Switzerland, Sweden, and the Flemish region of Belgium can
currently claim a mature compost market situation, though the situation in the UK is
also developing rapidly. Despite their small number, these countries account for more
than 2/3 of the biowaste treatment capacity in Europe. 692
692 D. Hogg, D. Lister, J. Barth, E. Favoino and F. Amlinger (2009) Frameworks for Use of Compost in
Agriculture in Europe, Final report for WRAP, January 2009
http://www.wrap.org.uk/downloads/Eunomia_compost_in_agriculture_final_report.703534d2.6993.
pdf .
693 J. Barth, F. Amlinger, E. Favoino, S. Siebert, B. Kehres, R. Gottschall, M. Bieker, A. Löbig and W.
Bidlingmaier (2008). Compost Production and Use in the EU. Report for the European Commission
DG/JRC.
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