LIFE BIOBEST Archives - Zero Waste Europe

Comprehensive Guidance for effective bio-waste management in the EU

The LIFE BIOBEST Comprehensive Guidance presents key policy recommendations to strengthen the EU legal framework for bio-waste management. Drawing from extensive research and stakeholder consultation, this document outlines three interconnected areas for improvement: boosting effective models for separate collection and recycling, promoting reliable markets for compost and digestate, and enhancing monitoring and enforcement of bio-waste regulations.

The guidance provides concrete policy measures to help close the gap between current practices and potential capture rates, addressing the fact that only 26% of kitchen waste is currently collected separately in the EU. It proposes specific legally binding targets, economic instruments, and monitoring requirements to support the EU’s transition toward more efficient bio-waste management and healthier soils.

Validated by 21 stakeholders representing 13 entities from across Europe, this document serves as a roadmap for EU policymakers working to improve bio-waste management.

A summary video presenting the key recommendations is available with subtitles in 11 EU languages.

Available in English.

LIFE BIOBEST – Decision Support Web Tool

LIFE BIOBEST D7.1 Decision Support Web Tool (DSWT) assesses the performance of bio-waste management options in a specific area by using a set of indicators to evaluate three pillars of sustainability (environment, economy and social aspects).

The DSWT considers the impacts associated with all stages of the bio-waste management system, (i.e. bio-waste generation, source separation, collection from generation sources to the first waste facility, pre-treatment, treatment, final disposal, biobased products use as well as transportation between the different waste facilities). It accounts for the impacts related to emissions and resources consumed (e.g. electricity, fuel, machinery) within the bio-waste management system as well as the avoided productions of the goods (material and energy) substituted by the outputs generated from the bio-waste management system (i.e. bio-based products and energy), such as mineral fertilisers. The DSWT also considers the management of the micro- and macro-impurities that are thrown away together with the source separated bio-waste due to sorting errors.

The tool calculates and displays two types of results for each scenario: 1) The Mass Flow of the Scenario, which refers to the amounts of bio-waste, nutrients and macro-impurities that flow between the different bio-waste management stages. 2) The Assessment Results of the Scenario, which shows the values of the assessment criteria for the specific area to study and scenario, including: i) Climate Change, ii) Economic Cost, iii) Local Labour, iv) Space Requirement, v) Sorting Time, vi) Energy (thermal and electric) Recovery Indexes and vii) Transportation Intensity Indexes.

DSWT is meant to provide a first assessment of the scenarios modelled based on the data available in the DSWT and data introduced by the user. The target users of the tool are authorities, consulting firms and waste operators that can use the tool to simulate different bio-waste management scenarios and compare them. The results of its assessment can help identify the critical points of the current (or planned) bio-waste management system.

The DSWT is an upgraded version of the H2020 DECISIVE DSWT. Since LIFE BIOBEST leader, ENT, was the main developer of the H2020 DECISIVE DST (www.decisive2020.eu), the know-how accumulated during the development of the former tool was easily and efficiently used to build an updated version.

You can access the web tool by clicking the button below. The manual is available on the webpage after registering as a user.

Summary of Guidelines

The Guidelines summary consolidates the key takeaways from LIFE BIOBEST guidelines on bio-waste separate collection, governance and economic incentives, compost and digestate, and communication and engagement practices. The aim is to support upper-level authorities in streamlining policy measures and lower-level authorities in implementing effective solutions.

Available in English and Italian.

Proposal for quality standards for bio-waste entering biological recycling facilities

The quality of bio-waste impacts the production of compost and digestate. LIFE BIOBEST‘s Deliverable 5.3 aims to establish unified quality standards for bio-waste entering the recycling process in the European Union Member States in alignment with the Waste Framework Directive.

The document draws conclusions from the various approaches currently adopted by EU MS, including methodologies for the analysis of bio-waste composition as well as the definition of control or limit values for impurities. Furthermore, consultation with experts in bio-waste management helped shape the recommendations.

Available in English.

Assessment matrix of best practices

LIFE BIOBEST‘s Deliverable 2.3 evaluates contextual factors that affect bio-waste management. The assessment matrix consolidates various contextual factors, providing in-depth descriptions of each. The factors are then placed alongside recommendations and six theoretical scenarios, which stakeholders can use to compare to their own context.

Available in English.

Guideline on governance and economic incentives for bio-waste separate collection and treatment

The D3.2 Guideline on governance and economic incentives, published as part of the LIFE BIOBEST project, discusses essential governance tools and economic instruments to enhance bio-waste management schemes. This guideline presents practical examples of these instruments in action and includes an analysis of the economic viability of best practices from separate collection to treatment.

This guideline, along with three additional guidelines on bio-waste separate collection, compost and digestate, and communication and engagement practices, aims to support upper-level authorities in streamlining policy measures and lower-level authorities in implementing effective solutions. The guidelines serve as crucial resources for municipalities, policymakers, waste haulers, recycling entities, and technical practitioners, whether they are in the initial stages of bio-waste implementation or have advanced management systems.

Available in English.

Country Factsheets on the analysis of communication and engagement practices for bio-waste separate collection and treatment

The D3.4 Country Factsheets on the analysis of communication and engagement practices, published as part of the LIFE BIOBEST project, delve into effective public communication and education strategies. This guideline analyzes successful experiences from various countries, highlighting the impact of public participation and awareness on bio-waste management schemes.

This guideline, along with three additional guidelines on bio-waste separate collection, compost and digestate, and governance and economic incentives, aims to support upper-level authorities in streamlining policy measures and lower-level authorities in implementing effective solutions. The guidelines serve as crucial resources for municipalities, policymakers, waste haulers, recycling entities, and technical practitioners, whether they are in the initial stages of bio-waste implementation or have advanced management systems.

Available in English.

Guideline to promote quality compost and digestate

The D3.3 Guideline on quality compost and digestate, published as part of the LIFE BIOBEST project, breaks down the treatment technologies and resources that support the production of compost and digestate. The guideline provides insights about the processing options, analysis of product characteristics, quality assurance systems as well as related EU legislation and the ECN quality assurance scheme.

This guideline, along with three additional guidelines on bio-waste separate collection, governance and economic incentives, and communication and engagement practices, aims to support upper-level authorities in streamlining policy measures and lower-level authorities in implementing effective solutions. The guidelines serve as crucial resources for municipalities, policymakers, waste haulers, recycling entities, and technical practitioners, whether they are in the initial stages of bio-waste implementation or have advanced management systems.

Available in English.

Guideline on the separate collection of bio-waste

The D3.1 Guideline on separate collection, published as part of the LIFE BIOBEST project, offers a comprehensive overview of various bio-waste collection schemes, assessing their pros and cons. It includes a set of Best Practices focusing on collection from households and other producers in diverse contexts.

This guideline, along with three additional guidelines on governance and economic incentives, compost and digestate, and communication and engagement practices, aims to support upper-level authorities in streamlining policy measures and lower-level authorities in implementing effective solutions. The guidelines serve as crucial resources for municipalities, policymakers, waste haulers, recycling entities, and technical practitioners, whether they are in the initial stages of bio-waste implementation or have advanced management systems.

Available in English.

Policy brief including the regulatory barriers for bio-waste separate collection and treatment

Ahead of the EU bio-waste separate collection mandate in January 2024, LIFE BIOBEST‘s Deliverable 5.2 identifies the gaps in the regulatory framework and systemic barriers obstructing efficient bio-waste management with high capture rates of high-quality material.

LIFE BIOBEST interviewed 15+ expert stakeholders from across the EU to discuss the difficulties of meeting the landfill and recycling targets as well as the mandate for separate collection of bio-waste. This report investigates the status of transposition and management results of the EU legal framework and proposes recommendations and calls to action.

Available in English.

Improved and homogenised datasets on municipal bio-waste management in the EU

Released for public dissemination by the LIFE BIOBEST project, this report consists of a homogenised dataset on municipal bio-waste management.

Originating from an investigation into the current status of data collection and reporting in the European Union, the publication contains data on basic information and boundary conditions for bio-waste collection and treatment for nearly all 27 EU Member States, as well as a detailed dataset exploring the collection per capita of food waste and garden waste at the municipal level for Italy, Denmark, and Catalonia.

Available in English.