Web-Resol Tudo sobre Limpeza Urbana e Resíduos Sólidos!
The amount of material being composted in the UK increased 100% between 1999/00 and 2001/02 according to The Composting Association’s latest survey of the composting industry.
The State of Composting in the UK 2001/2 indicated that 1.66 million tonnes (Mt) of material was processed at 218 composting facilities.
The State of Composting in the UK 2001/2 was funded by the Environment Agency and the Waste and Resources Action Programme. Of the 1.66 Mt processed, 72% (by mass) was municipal household waste, 8% municipal non-household and 20% commercial waste. The industry as a whole was dominated by green waste composting, which accounted for approximately 80% of the raw feedstocks (by mass).
A further 6% was food wastes, 3% kitchen and garden wastes and 11% was a mixture of other organics including forestry, sewage sludge and paper/cardboard.
Dr Jane Gilbert, Chief Executive of The Composting Association, welcomed the report saying “Using proven, reliable and affordable treatment processes, the composting industry is continuing to develop at a significant rate with the number of composting facilities increasing at 25% per year over the past 6 years. During this time the industry has been dominated by green waste composting but I fully expect that to change in forthcoming years now a framework is in place to enable the treatment of other biodegradable wastes such as catering and kitchen wastes.”
The report indicated that these drivers are already beginning to shape the industry, with the proportion of waste composted using in-vessel technologies increasing from 5% in 1999/00 to 11% in 2001/02.
The State of Composting in the UK 2001/2 also highlighted considerable geographical variation in the amount of composting taking place within the UK. England composted far more than any of the devolved nations, approximately 1.5 million tonnes, compared to Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales that each composted less than 60,000 tonnes.
Further analysis revealed the amount collected per household was similar in England (72 kg/household/annum) and Northern Ireland (73 kg/household/annum), both of which collected more per household than either Wales (31 kg/household/annum) or Scotland (25 kg/household/annum).
Market development has a key role to play in the long term future of the composting industry. The survey recorded approximately one million tonnes of composted products produced in the UK. Over one third was utilised in outlets with a high pecuniary value including horticulture, landscaping and domestic gardening. One third was used as landfill restoration or daily cover and remainder was used in agriculture.
Overall, the majority of products were utilised as soil improvers and mulches, other significant product categories identified included growing media, turf dressings and topsoils.
The State of Composting in the UK 2001/2 is free to download from the Composting Association’s website www.compost.org.uk
Artigos Relacionados
Check Also
Waste management poses challenges, but could unlock major environmental and economic gains
Every day, the city of Rio de Janeiro, one of the largest metropolises in the Southern Hemisphere, generates 17,000 tonnes of waste, ranging from large industrial debris to candy wrappers bought innocently at newspaper stands. While this waste presents a serious and urgent environmental challenge, it also fuels an increasingly significant portion of the economy, with benefits extending beyond financial gains. - When we look at developed European countries, many are already recycling between 40% and 50%, with some reaching 60%. From an economic standpoint, both recyclable materials and organic waste hold tremendous value - stated Adalberto Maluf, National Secretary for Environment and Environmental Quality at the Ministry of the Environment (MMA), during the Methane Forum: Climate Emergency Brake, at the Rio Nature and Climate Week. Citing a 2025 report, Maluf mentioned that Brazil literally throws away R$27 billion annually, while municipalities spend significantly more - R$45 billion - managing all this waste, often overlooking the environmental impact or economic potential buried in landfills and dumps. - We spend R$45 billion to collect and dispose of waste in landfills, yet we manage to recycle less than a third of the potential. I believe it will be necessary to review contracts, create performance-based remuneration mechanisms, and pay for both effectively sorted materials and those diverted from landfills - he added. According to the IBGE, 60.5% of Brazilian municipalities adopt some form of selective waste collection, and several initiatives serve as examples of how to manage city waste. In his panel presentation, Bernardo Ornelas, Project Coordinator at the Rio de Janeiro Municipal Urban Cleaning Company (Comlurb), highlighted Ecoparque do Caju, a national benchmark in waste management and recycling. There, received materials are sorted and can be used for biogas production, organic compounds for urban gardens, or human consumption, in the case of still...