22/6/2009

ISWA’s position on the

Green Paper on Biowaste

Antonis Mavropoulos
ISWA STC Chair
CEO EPEM SA
amavrop@epem.gr

Global View of SWM

http://mavropoulos.blogspot.com/
amavrop@epem.gr

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About ISWA ( www.iswa.org )

Argentina Australia Austria Bosnia/Herzegovina Brazil Bulgaria Canada P.R. China

Denmark Finland France Germany Greece Hungary Iceland

India

Israel Italy Japan Latvia Malaysia New Zealand Nigeria Norway

Portugal Romania Serbia Singapore South Korea Spain Sweden Switzerland

the Netherlands Turkey United Kingdom USA

Contents

1. Not just waste management

2. Main concepts and experiences
3. Views on the Green Paper
4. Conclusions

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1. Not just waste management

Biowaste management should be framed

on a broader framework

Soil Protection
Organic matter
Water retention Climate Change
Workability C sequestration
Reduction of Ps – Fs

Waste Management

2. Main concepts and experiences

• There are proven technologies that deliver

results (Composting, AD)
• Source separation of organic waste is a
proven strategy
• Compost from source separated organics
is considered as a substantial resource
• “Compost Like Output” (CLO) from mixed
waste is of very poor standards
• Compost markets are mainly local

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Source separation lessons

• Similar schemes tend to give same results,

everywhere
• Schemes may be optimized
– Increased captures, quality, cost optimization
• Best performing schemes based on labor-
intensive strategies (kerbside collection, hand
pick-up)

• Less CAP.EX., creation of jobs, more OPEX

• Collection at high-rise buildings also
POSSIBLE and widely implemented
• Frequency of collection shows to be a key
aspect and could be improved thanks home
composting promotion

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Financial consequences (adapted

from R. Cavallo)

A combination of measures is
required (adapted from E. Favoino)

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Composting lessons
• GIGO effect!
• Home composting is part of the solution,
especially on a long-term basis
• Decentralization and flexibility is a great
advantage
• Reduction of nuisance may require odor
control
• There is always a market for quality
compost from source separation
• There is not a market for CLO (and
there will never be?)

Anaerobic digestion lessons

• Sensitive to scale economies

• Capable to handle other waste as well
• More costly even with energy revenues
• Crucial: wastewater treatment
• Link with wastewater sludge
• Bulky materials not required

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Biowaste and Climate Change

(adapted from E. Favoino)

• Biowaste emits CO2 – short-term (biogenic) carbon

C neutral
• Biowaste is “renewable replacement for fossil
fuels”
• Use of compost replaces fertilizers – avoidance of
CO2 and other GHG’s ought to be considered
• Use of compost may lock-up carbon in the soil –
“sequestration” ought to be considered
• AD turns carbon into a substitute fuel (biogas: 100-
150 m3/ tonne d.m.) – this replaces fossil fuels

According EEA the energy

potential of MSW represents
almost 7% of global renewable
energy potential in 2020

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View 1: Waste prevention

• The heart attack metaphor

• The time arrow
• Radical Change Vs Direct Relief
• Home composting
• Focus on food waste
• Food industry supply chain

View 2: Further landfill restriction

• The long term target must be a complete ban

• Short and medium term: gradual reduction
according local conditions
• Monitoring and review

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View 3: Options for treatment

• AD: Energy + Soil Benefits

• Composting
• LCA tools to be improved in order to include
CC and Soil issues

View 4: Energy recovery

• Biowaste can deliver energy from a

non-stop product of our daily life – thus
it is more suitable than energy crops
which are in direct competition with
food availability
• Biowaste source separation removes
wet fraction from waste, thus
contributes to a higher calorific value of
the residual stream – thus it can also
improve the performance of new
incinerators, although it may reduce the
capacity of old ones

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View 5: Promotion of biowaste

recycling

• Biowaste recycling reflects the only

continuously available resource for organic
matter – a real tool against desertification in
South Europe
• Biowaste Directive is a real necessity

View 6: Increase use of compost

• Compost from source separation: High

Quality – high price, lots of uses
• Compost from mixed waste, through
Mechanical Separation: Poor quality,
“Recycled organics” – very low or no price,
limited uses
• Support the standards of the 2nd Working
Document Biological Treatment of Biowaste

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Conclusions

• Biowaste is not just waste management

• Cost Effective Source Separation programs are
a proven strategy that really delivers results
especially in rural and semi-urban areas
• Source separation should be successful only if
it is in the framework of an integrated concept
• AD and composting are well proven,
decentralized and flexible technologies that can
easily participate in every integrated SWM
system

• Advanced Biowaste Management can

provide both substantial energy resources
and soil improvement materials
• There are high opportunities to utilize
biowaste with other waste streams
• Special emphasis should be given to food
waste and to supply chain of food industry
• Waste prevention, home composting,
extended source separation are the long
term solutions, but the immediate relief in big
cities can only be a result of waste treatment
infrastructure

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Last but not least…

• A Biowaste Directive is much more than

necessary and less than easy to be applied
• As long as EU delays the Biowaste
Directive, the relevant infrastructure and
investments are under uncertainty and
doubts
• When if not now?
• Where if not in EU?

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