final report - JRC IPTS - Sustainable Production and Consumption ...

treating those materials in an aerobic composting process depends on the composition, degradability,
water or nutrient content (C/N-ratio). So not for each of the materials composting is first choice.
Task 4: Production and Market potentials of compost
There is enough market for the up-to-date around 23.6 Mt composted residues from kitchens, gardens
and parks in Europe. The market potential shows at the minimum double the size than the maximum
European compost production potential of 40 Mt. The agricultural sector alone would be large enough
in nearly all MS to take up the entire compost production. On a European level only around 3 % of the
arable land is needed annually to apply all composts.
Even the non agricultural sector (e.g. landscaping, hobby gardens, growing media with peat
replacement) shows already a sufficient market potential e.g. in Germany.
Market problems in some countries are caused mainly by low compost qualities and the lack of
experience and knowledge about compost and the potential customers. End-of-waste standards can act
in this respect beneficially by rising the awareness of the importance of the compost quality in the
waste sector as a precondition for successful application and marketing.
Strategies and tools to exploit the market potential completely are given on the one hand with high
qualities from separate collection and a quality assurance. The demonstration of the soil related
benefits of compost (humus management) and the development of specialised compost products and
blends have proven to be successful strategy on the other hand.
Task 5: Identify import and export potentials of compost
End-of-waste standards are intended to open the European markets for compost. However on account
of weight and the resulting transport costs the import and export potential for compost is quite limited.
Besides the cross border activities related to local markets in the direct catchment area of compost
plants close to borders no continuous commercial cross border compost material flow was detectable.
Only shortage of national agricultural markets due to fertiliser legislations or strong manure
competition (e.g. in Belgium and the Netherlands) lead to considerable export efforts.. Considering
these limitations we can expect a maximum import and export potential of 1.8 million t of bio- and
green waste annually.
20
COMPOST PRODUCTION AND USE IN THE EU