One year anniversary of bio-waste collection in Europe is a warning for recycling
Brussels, 1 January 2025 – On the first anniversary of the EU obligation to collect bio-waste separately, the LIFE BIOBEST consortium warns that Europe is still falling short of their true potential for bio-waste capture.
Article 22 of the Waste Framework Directive (WFD) requires all EU Member States to either separately collect bio-waste or apply home composting solutions.
While this mandate has brought bio-waste management into the spotlight, the past year has proved that much more remains to be done. In 2024, Zero Waste Europe and Bio-based Industries Consortium found that a staggering 74% of all kitchen waste generated in the EU still ends up in landfills or incinerators. This amounts to 45 million tonnes of food waste that is not being properly managed.
Meanwhile, LIFE BIOBEST has developed guidelines and analysed best practices from numerous regions across Europe to provide local authorities with tools and information to implement and improve bio-waste management.
ENT Foundation, project coordinators, states:
“We know that bio-waste remains deprioritised across much of the EU, even despite the new requirement for separate collection. There is need for further intervention and guidance from upper level authorities, including targets on the quality of bio-waste and quantity of bio-waste in the residual waste. Local entities should be guided and trained to implement high efficiency systems.”
High-quality bio-waste is key to delivering environmental and economic benefits and close the cycle by applying high quality compost and digestate on the soil. Ideally, impurities should remain below 2%, with 5% as a workable threshold.
Manon Jourdan, Implementation Officer at Zero Waste Europe, states:
“LIFE BIOBEST has provided a roadmap for better bio-waste management—now we need the will to use it. Let’s seize this chance to turn empty talk into lasting action.”
The LIFE BIOBEST consortium calls on municipalities, waste management companies, and policymakers to strengthen their waste management strategies to maximise the environmental and economic benefits of high-quality compost and digestate production and application.
ENDS
Notes to the editor
- Proposal for quality standards for bio-waste entering biological recycling facilities: https://zerowasteeurope.eu/library/proposal-for-quality-standards-for-bio-waste-entering-biological-recycling-facilities/
The LIFE BIOBEST project, funded by the European Union, brought together experts from the Consorzio Italiano Compostatori (CIC), Fundació ENT, European Compost Network (ECN), and Zero Waste Europe (ZWE). This project runs for 30 months, now in its 18th month. These guidelines have been created six months after the mandatory separate collection of bio-waste had come into force to offer strategic and practical approaches to effective bio-waste management.
For more information and to download the guidelines, visit the LIFE BIOBEST project website at www.lifebiobest.eu.
ABOUT THE PARTNERS
ACR+ is the Association of Cities and Regions for sustainable Resource management. We are an international network of cities and regions sharing the aim of promoting a sustainable resource management and accelerating the transition towards a circular economy on their territories and beyond. www.acrplus.org
The Italian Compost and Biogas Consortium (CIC) is a non-profit association gathering 144 members including composting and anaerobic digestion facilities. Considering its background and the good performance of Italy regarding bio-waste capture rate and quality compost, CIC is involved in activities EU-wide showcasing how the bio-waste value chain can return organic carbon to the soil while generating energy carriers and green jobs. www.compost.it
The European Compost Network (ECN) is a membership organisation with 66 members from 27 European Countries, promoting sustainable recycling practices in composting, anaerobic digestion and other biological treatment processes of organic resources. www.compostnetwork.info
ENT Foundation (ENT) is a research centre based in Barcelona and dedicated to the elaboration, analysis, and implementation of public environmental policies. ENT’s team is comprised of around 25 highly specialised consultants. www.ent.cat
Zero Waste Europe (ZWE) is the European network of communities, local leaders, experts, and change agents working towards a better use of resources and the elimination of waste in our society. We advocate for sustainable systems; for the redesign of our relationship with resources; and for a global shift towards environmental justice, accelerating a just transition towards zero waste for the benefit of people and the planet. www.zerowasteeurope.eu