ECN Annual Report 2011
The European Compost Network has published the Annual report 2011. Besides the information about the constitution of the network, the new elected ECN Board information of the ECNs work in 2011 is given.
The ECN Annual Report 2011 can be downloaded here.
ECN – New Office Address
With the beginning of 2012 the office of the European Compost Network moved from Oelde to Bochum. Ms Stefanie Siebert is nominated as Executive Director of the European Compost Network. Please note the new address and contact dates:
European Compost Network ECN e.V.
Im Dohlenbruch 11
44795 Bochum (Germany)
T. ++49 (0) 234 438 9447
F. ++49 (0) 234 438 9448
Email: info@compostnetwork.info
3rd Baltic Biowaste Conference
Challenges for the Implementation of Municipal Biodegradable Waste Management in the Baltic States.
The European Compost Network together with ISWA and in cooperation
with Lithuanian Ministry of Environment organised the 3rd Baltic Biowaste Conference with 150 participants.
The conference took place on the 23./24. November 2011 in Vilnius, Lithuania.
Further information here
Revision of Fertiliser Regulation (EG) No 2003/2003
The EU Commission is going to revise the EU Fertiliser Regulation in respect to include organic fertiliser in this regulation. The revision is supported by an ongoing technical study that aims at collecting information on the EU ferilisers market and at developing and assessing a set of policy options in terms of their possible impacts on human health and the environment. The final draft of this study will be available by mid-November 2011.
Further the Commission intends to set up four technical working groups where all stakeholders are asked to nominate experts for the different working group issues.
The following four working groups will be implemented in 2012.
- WG1: Overall structure of the future proposal
- WG2: Nutrient content, Product composition and agronomic efficacy
- WG3: Contaminants, Hygiene and other Risks
- WG4: Labelling, Enforcement and Control
The detailed descriptions for setting up ad-hoc working groups in the context of the revision ot the Fertiliser Regulation (EG) No 2003/2003 can be downloaded here.
ECN Annual Meeting 2012
Save the date: 12 June 2012
The ECN Annual Meeting 2012 will take place during the ORBIT2012 in Rennes. The Annual meeting will be scheduled from 16:00 h to 19:00 h on the 12 June 2012.
We would like to celebrate the 10 year jubilee of the European Compost Network ECN with a dinner in the evening of the 12 June 2012.
Further the ECN workshop on “From Waste to Product – Sustainable Management of Organic Resources in Europe” will be held on the 13 June 2012 during the 8th International Conference ORBIT2012 in Rennes.
Further information on the Annual meeting 2012 will be send out at the beginning of 2012.
ECN Workshop 2012
Save the date: 13 June 2012
The ECN Workshop 2012 “From Waste to Product – Sustainable Management of Organic Resources in Europe” will be held on the 13 June 2012 during the 8th International Conference ORBIT2012 in Rennes.
The ECN Workshop 2012 focusses on the current European strategies and policies towards a “Recycling Society” including a sustainable management of organic resources in Europe. 10 years after the foundation of the European Compost Network in Budapest we have now achieved the level where the sustainable management of biowaste forms a sound basis for a resource efficient recycling society which produces and uses successfully fertilising and soil improving products from our organic resources.
Main topics of the ECN Workshop will be the initiatives of European Policy, the status of biowaste management in Europe and effective strategies for the markets of compost and
The preliminary programme will be published here at the beginning of 2012.
EU GREEN WEEK 2011: Towards a Resource-efficient Europe
The European “Green Week” 2011 was opened under the slogan “Using less, living better” by the European Commissioner Janez Potočnik on the 24th May 2011. Resource conservation and the efficient use of resources by reusing and recycling are the key element of the 21th century. In this context the European Commission has published the flagship initiative “A Resource-efficient Europe” and the ”EU Raw Material Strategy”.
The EU flagship initiative “A resource efficient Europe” can be downloaded here.
http://ec.europa.eu/resource-efficient-europe/pdf/resource_efficient_europe_en.pdf
The European Communication on Raw Materials can be downloaded here.
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/raw-materials/files/docs/communication_en.pdf
JRC-IPTS/IES – Screening for End-of-Waste Criteria for Biodegradable Waste
The Joint Research Institute (JRC) of the European Commission “Institute for Environment and Sustainability” (IES) has commissioned a screening exercise to determine the pollutants in treated bio-waste in the context of the decision-making process for end-of-waste criteria for compost and digestate. During June 2011 the JRC-IES is going to collect samples of compost, digestate, sludge compost and MBT-material across Europe. Based on the outcome of the results the JRC-IES will publish the second report on End-of-waste criteria for compost and digestate.
Further Information on the EoW project can be found here.
End-of-Waste Criteria for Compost and Digestate
The first technical working group (TWG) meeting on end-of-waste (EoW) criteria for compost and digestate of the European Commission took place at the Joint Research Centre “Institute for Prospective Technological Studies (JRC-IPTS)” on the 2 March 2011 in Seville.
ECN has summarized the presentations of the first TWG meeting. The ECN_EOW_Presentation can be downloaded here.
In respect to the discussion on EoW criteria and further EU regulation on bio-waste ECN has worked out a position on regulating different waste streams in Europe. The ECN POSITION on the concept of regulating bio-waste recycling in the EU can be downloaded here.
EU Conference Do not waste your biowaste
In the context of the Belgian EU presidency the Belgian Environmental Agency (OVAM) organised a bio-waste-conference under the title Do not waste your bio-waste which was held in Brussels on 21 September 2010.
More than 200 participants from 21 European Countries followed the ongoing discussion for an European legislation on the management of bio-waste.
The presentations of the conference will be published on the website of OVAM
Implementation Regulation completes the new Animal by-Products Regulation
The new Animal by-Products Regulation (EC) 1069/2009 laying down “health rules as regards animal by-products and derived products not intended for human consumption2 is now accompanied by the Implementing Regulation (EC) 142/2011 which applies since 4 March 2011. Both are a consequence of a long and comprehensive review carried of out by the EU Commission in order to update and simplify the ABP Regulation (EC) 1774 from 2002.
The download address for the Regulation (EC) 1069/2009 is
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2009:300:0001:0033:EN:PDF
Implementation Regulation on ABPR 142_2011
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2011:054:0001:0254:EN:PDF
ORBIT2012 – First Announcement and Call for Papers
The ORBIT2012, organised by Cemagref and ECN, is scheduled for the 12th to 15th June 2012 in Rennes, France. The flyer of the ORBIT2012 can be downloaded Orbit2012.
For abstract submission and registration please visit the website: www.orbit2012.fr
Proceedings of AD Europe 2011 are available
The proceedings of the International Anaerobic Digestion Conference & Trade Fair on 24 and 25 February 2011 can be ordered by the Composting and Anaerobic Digestion Association of Ireland (CRÉ) www.cre.ie/ad2011
ARGE Austria, BGK Germany and Vlaco Belgium are acknowledged in the European Qualtiy Assurance Scheme of ECN
In July 2010 the European Compost Network has launched the European Quality Assurance schemes (ECN-QAS) as a key element for the sustainable recycling of organic residues in Europe. The market and demand for quality composts increased on account of the beneficial properties of organic fertilisers and soil improver, the need for organic matter and continuously increasing prices for mineral fertilisers. This development and also the intention by the European Commission to define an End-of-Waste standard for compost led to a demand for a European uniform quality standard for compost plants and composted products. The European Compost Network ECN met this challenge and developed a concept for a European quality assurance scheme. Now the first Quality assurance organisations for compost in Europe are labelled as “Certified Organisation” in the ECN-QAS:
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| ARGE Compost & Biogas, Austria |
Bundesgütegemeinschaft Kompost, Germany |
Vlaamse Compostorganisatie vzwVlaco, Belgium, Flandern |
Bio-waste Strategy of the European Commission – Latest Developments
On the 21. September 2010 DG Environment of the European Commission published a new working document with the title “Sludge and Biowaste”. The document is based on to changes of the bio-waste and sludge policy outlined in the Communication from the Commission on “Future steps in bio-waste management in the European Union” adopted on 18. May 2010. It aims to structure the further discussion with Member States and key stakeholders as well as to enable the Commission for a better preparation of the revision of the Directive on the use of sewage sludge in agriculture.
The ECN statement on the working document “Sludge and Biowaste” can be downloaded here
European Quality Assurance for Compost is launched
The European Compost Network ECN started to develop a concept for a European quality assurance scheme within its working group Standardisation & Quality Assurance. This project includes in its first running pilot phase a quality standard for compost like it is necessary for a free cross-border movement of goods in the EU. Pre-condition for a consistent compost quality is to harmonise the parameter of the treatment process and to check them regularly by an independent control. Further targets of the ECN-QAS are to set a common basis for the existing quality schemes in Europe and to support Member States defining quality standards and developing a quality assurance scheme for composts – for digestates in a second phase in the course of 2012.
All these requirements are laid down in the ECN-QAS Quality Manual
Further information about the ECN-QAS can be downloaded ECN_Info-paper_01_2010_ECN-QAS
New Quality Guideline for Compost and Digestate 2010 is published
The compost and biogas organisation of Switzerland has published the new Quality Guideline for Compost and Digestate 2010.
The new quality guideline replaces the VKSguideline 2001. The objective of the revised guideline was to give a better overview on the different quality products from composting and digestion and their specific use.
It includes further criteria for the differentiation between digestate and compost and a clear definition for the maturity of compost. The Quality Guideline 2010 is informative for producers of compost and digestate as well as for users like farmers, gardeners and landscapers.
It describes in details the use of compost, liquid and solid digestates. The Guidelines can be downloaded in German and French from the following websites: www.compospect.ch www.biogas.ch http://www.kompost.ch/ www.kompostverband.ch
EU Revision of the Animal by-Products Regulation largely completed
New Animal By-Products Regulation (EC) No. 1069/2009, which lays down heath rules for Animal By-Products not intended for human consumption, will come into effect on 4 March 2011.
With the latest decisions for the implementation rules SANCO/7066/2010 in September the consultation between Commission, Member States and stakeholders are nearly completed. As expected – the results are ambiguous for the compost and biogas sector.
An important achievement is that in addition to catering waste, Member States can apply national rules for former foodstuff (raw meet exempted). No final conclusion could be achieved on the definition of approved “other composting systems”, though the interpretation of the Commission repeatedly confirmed quality assured open windrow composting as alternative.
Thanks to the intensive comments of the European Compost Network and few Member States a special ” composting and digestion” meeting of the Commission and the Scientific Committee EFSA and Member States was arranged in November. The results of this meeting are summarized in the ECN News 3/2010 following page 3 download ECN_NEWS.
ECNs extensive comments to the draft implementation rules of the ABPR can be downloaded ABPR_7066-2010_ECN-comments.
