News Room

HOW DO YOU MARKET ORGANIC WASTE?
5 Oct 2007 RWM Website - Alexander Maddan comments

Once organic waste has been composted, how do producers market the recycled product and what options are available? Alexander Maddan, managing director of organic waste recycling company, AGRIVERT explains why understanding your end markets is such a vital element for any composting operator. Read full article

LONDON WASTE AND AGRIVERT FIRST TO GAIN BOTH ABPR AND PAS100 CERTIFICATION AT THE ECOPARK COMPOST CENTRE
1 March 2007

Recognised as the gold standard for compost producers, PAS 100 certification has been awarded to LondonWaste’s EcoPark Compost Centre in North London. A delighted David Sargent, Managing Director of LondonWaste said: “This achievement is certainly a significant milestone in confirming the EcoPark’s reputation as an integrated centre which promotes and practices recycling and the sustainable management of London’s waste stream.”

The Compost Centre, which processes garden waste and kitchen scraps from boroughs in the north of the capital was certificated as PAS 100 following comprehensive auditing by the Compost Association.  The certification forms a key building block of the new Compost Quality Protocol.  Compost producers achieving  PAS 100 accreditation qualify for the Protocol, which defines the material produced as a product rather than a waste.  

Composting is recognised as key to reducing the amount of biodegradable waste sent to landfill, and the inclusion of an ABPR compliant In- Vessel Facility in the PAS100 club will be welcomed by the authors of the new protocol because it is testament that the protocol is achievable by IVC systems.

Alexander Maddan, Agrivert’s Managing Director remarked, “part of our service contract with LondonWaste is to produce a PAS 100 product.  Having supplied the technology and operating expertise we were confident that the plant would produce the product required by PAS 100. “

The Agrivert system swiftly gained State Veterinary Service (SVS) approval in 2005 becoming one of the first large scale IVC’s to become ABPR compliant.  Agrivert were delighted how smoothly the SVS Approval process went.  SVS Approval allows the compost to be recycled and if there is a delay in gaining SVS Approval, the final product has to be landfilled, adding enormous cost to the process.  Susan Relf, Agrivert’s Compliance Director, commented: “The LondonWaste plant was approved so quickly by the SVS that output compost has never had the double cost of being both treated and land filled and has always been recycled.”

The 30,000t/yr Compost Centre, was designed, built and is operated by Agrivert. Since opening in September 2005 the facility has operated at capacity and produces a high quality compost qualifying for BVPI 82b credits.  There is no doubt that PAS 100 certification will open up new market opportunities for the end product, as Chairman of the North London Waste Authority, Councillor Brian Coleman, confirms: “I am delighted that LondonWaste Ltd has achieved this standard. I will be encouraging its use in public parks and gardens in North London to help build a more sustainable future.”

COMPOSTING PROTOCOL EXPANDED TO INCLUDE ANIMAL BY-PRODUCTS
16 February 2007 (Letsrecycle.co.uk)

Revisions to the list of acceptable inputs for the proposed Protocol on composting mean that composters receiving local authority kerbside collections of mixed garden and kitchen waste are now likely to be able to comply with it, writes Emily Ross.

Mixed collections of kitchen and green waste are set to be able to be composted to the Protocol standard. Set to be released this March the protocol will allow compost to be classified as a "product" rather than a waste by compliant composters.

Until now the protocol has excluded animal by-products, alienating many in-vessel composters who process mixed green waste and catering waste collected by local authorities.

Animal by-products (ABPs) are the leftovers from the preparation of meat dishes and anything which has been in contact with meat. Domestic food waste, waste from food manufacturers and food retailers - classified as Category 3 ABPR - are now likely to be included in the protocol as long as the waste is composted in accordance with EU animal by-products regulations.

Speaking to letsrecycle.com today, Emily Nichols, the Composting Association's technical officer who has been working on the Protocol said: "We welcome the inclusion of these kind of wastes as they have potential to make good quality compost when composted according to good practice."

"The agricultural market has significant potential to make beneficial use of these kinds of compost. Although the quality will be similar to composted green waste, there is a possibility that the nutrient content will be higher than just composted green waste."

"It may aid composters in finding new markets and expanding their customer base to include customers which process ABPR waste."

Harry Waters sales and marketing director at composting technology firm Agrivert said "Including Animal By-Product Regulations is a sensible thing to do as the importance of in-vessel composting is only set to rise over the next five year. It is a very positive thing."

There are in the region of 30 sites in the UK that are currently processing a combination of ABPR wastes and catering wastes.

Preston based TEG environmental, which recently became the named in-vessel composting supplier for Greater Manchester Waste, has also welcomed the new inclusion.

TEG chief executive Mick Fishwick said he was happy about the expansion as now all of TEG's facilities will be able to comply with the Protocol.

These new inclusions were also welcomed by the National Farmers Union. Aarun Naik, environment policy adviser at the NFU said: "We welcome many of the new inclusions as they could potentially help create a better quality compost that can improve soil condition and enhance yields. It is also widens the scope of the market for those composters who are composting more unusual materials, such as certain animal by products."

"As long as appropriate safeguards are in place and appropriate controls are followed we are confident that such input materials can be safely composted." TOP

THE DRIVERS OF COMPOSTING CHANGE
February 2007

Alexander Maddan, Managing Director of Agrivert, takes a look at how ABPR has increased the popularity of In-Vessel composting

UK businesses – from Marks & Spencer with its £200m carbon-friendly five-year plan to the smallest company recycling its toner cartridges – are taking green issues more seriously. Certainly business seems to have woken up to the green call since the publication of the Stern report. However, as a nation as well we are recycling more, sending 9% less waste to landfill since 2001, and much of this success has been driven by Local Authority composting schemes.

After the devastating effects of foot and mouth disease in the UK, the Animal By-Products Regulations (ABPR) were updated in 2003 to tighten the rules on the processing of animal by-products. It is hoped that these regulations, which require higher levels of process control and treatment for certain organic wastes, will means that such outbreaks are never repeated.

These regulations, along with the other legislative measures, such as the Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme (LATS), are proving to be powerful drivers for change in the composting industry. Only five years ago, In-Vessel Composting (IVC) was virtually unknown in the waste industry. But today, as Local Authorities face the reality of potential penalties for not achieving their LATS targets and having to find the technology to adhere to the tightened animal by-products rules, IVC has become a key component in the quest to improve the country’s biodegradable municipal waste problem. The collective force of these regulations is gradually moving waste management away from landfill-dominated processes towards more integrated, hi-tech schemes.

As the composting industry enjoys a time of unprecedented growth and change in the UK, new opportunities are presenting themselves to those willing to take up the challenge. There is a huge demand for IVC technology and most plants with ABPR certification are already running at full capacity. Indeed, many of those already operating are looking at expansion.

IVC can play a key role in helping Local Authorities to achieve waste minimisation and re-use targets to divert waste away from landfill. This emerging technology which produces compost from organic waste contained within specially designed tunnels may be relatively new to the UK, but it is tried and tested in Europe, and proven technology is almost always an important factor in Local Authority waste plans.

IVC can help to increase the safety, speed and consistency of the composting process, at the same time producing high quality end products. The speed and ease of construction and implementation is also a significant factor in choosing the IVC route. Although plants need to be highly engineered to meet ABPR requirements and to withstand the harsh environment created during composting, they can be built quickly and are often up and running within six months from the start of construction.

The IVC system works by accelerating the process of breaking down all organic matter, ensuring that the decomposition occurs in a controlled and managed environment. Waste is first blended and shredded to produce optimum conditions for composting. It is then composted in specially designed tunnels, or vessels, where the temperature and oxygen availability are carefully controlled, before being placed on a maturation pad.

The compost is screened to produce a pure, high grade compost with excellent nutrient value and soil conditioning qualities. As with all waste management processes, the quality of the IVC end product partly depends on the quality of the input streams. With low levels of contamination in the waste streams, there is no reason why ABPR compliance IVC plants should not produce a high quality product, fully compliant with the British Standards Institution’s Publicly Available Specification for Composted Materials (PAS 100).

Despite its many advantages, however, In-Vessel Composting is a solution only for the biodegradable element of the waste stream. It is likely that most Local Authority waste strategies will adopt a mix of technologies to provide a comprehensive, sustainable and cost effective solution to waste management.

With the LATS clock already ticking, IVC offers a proven technology that can be delivered quickly, with relatively low capital requirements and comparatively low planning risk. It is therefore no surprise that IVC is featuring more prominently in an increasing number of Local Authority waste plans. TOP

LOCAL AUTHORITIES FIND A GREEN SOLUTION
2 February 2007

The pressure is on for Local Authorities to raise the bar in sustainable waste management as the Government sets a target of 33% for composting or recycling household waste by 2015. Added to this is the pressure of the EU Landfill Directive to reduce biodegradable waste to landfill.

In the search for a solution, many Local Authorities have turned to the large scale production of organic compost from Green Waste, which makes up around 25% of all municipal waste collected. Extracting Green Waste (Kitchen and Garden waste) from the waste stream, doesn’t only reduce waste to landfill, but also qualifies as a contributor to meeting Local Authority recycling targets. One of the most improved Local Authorities in the UK in 2006, attributes a significant part of its success to an investment in a Green Waste composting site run by Agrivert, a market leader in the design, build and operation of organic waste plants.

Cherwell District Council in Oxfordshire, achieved an increase of 24.7% for composting and recycling, making it the top recycling council in the South East and one of the best recyclers in Defra’s latest league table. Cherwell now composts or recycles 43% of all household waste, compared to the national average of 22%.

The Agrivert-run composting site at Showell Farm, Oxfordshire, receives Green Waste from civic amenity sites and kerbside collections run by Cherwell District Council and Oxford County Council. The site is capable of composting up to 15,000 tonnes of waste per year and the compost produced is spread on adjacent farmland, resulting in increased yields and lower fertilizer costs for the land owner.

Ed Potter, Amenity Services Manager from Cherwell District Council says: “We’ve seen huge improvements since starting our recycling scheme in August 2003. Before then Cherwell was an embarrassingly low performer, recycling only 11% of household waste, and we were certainly not on course to meet our 2006 target of 18%. Showell Farm composting site is a good example of how Local Authorities can efficiently and cost-effectively increase their recycling targets.

Harry Waters, Sales and Marketing Director of Agrivert says: “We are pleased to have contributed to Cherwell’s recycling success. However, these targets must be expanded further. Currently as a nation we compost about 18% of household waste, and even Cherwell, which is doing extremely well, is only composting 21%. Recent research suggests that 64% of the organic waste produced by Britain’s homes, parks and gardens could be recycled through composting.” TOP

Around 6 million Christmas trees were bought this year for British homes and offices and at the same time last year, only 10% were recycled*. We’ve all heard about the detrimental affects of global warming and leaving these trees to rot away in landfill won’t contribute towards a sustainable future.

Harry Waters from Oxfordshire based composting company Agrivert says: “All the Local Authorities in Oxfordshire have a system in place to make it easy for people to recycle their trees. So if you chose a real Christmas tree this year, take it to a household recycling centre or put it in your brown bin and they can be composted and put to good use.

“At our three composting sites in Oxfordshire, we expect to take delivery of around 5,500 trees from around the county for shredding. The compost produced can be used by parks and gardens for compost or mulch or is used locally for agriculture.

SODC (www.southoxon.gov.uk) offers residents three options for recycling Christmas trees: put the tree in your brown bin; take it to your local recycling centre for composting or take it back to where you bought it from, if they offer a shredding service. WODC residents are encouraged to recycle their trees by making use of a free chipping service, visit westoxon.gov.uk for more information.

If you live in Cherwell DC, you can put your tree in your brown bin for collection or take it to your nearest recycling centre. If you live in the City of Oxford, visit www.dailyinfo.co.uk, for details of collection points set up by The City Council for collection and composting Christmas trees between 3rd and 15th January.

Vale of the White Horse DC has two options: put the tree out for collection beside your brown bin or take it back to where you bought it from. Places like Milletts Farm at Frilford will shred your tree, visit www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk for more information. TOP