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EUROPEAN COMPOST NETWORK
ECN e.V.
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Network for Organic Resources and Biological Treatment
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ECN E-BULLETIN No. 4_2025
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Register now for ECN’s annual meeting | 04 June 2025
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ECN members can expect almost two days packed with interesting programme
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- Current developments in the EU and at ECN
- The EU-BRIT project
- Other projects with ECN involvement
- The final LIFE BIOBEST conference (05 June 2025, see below)
The registration deadline for ECN members ends on 05 May.
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On the next day, the LIFE BIOBEST project holds its final conference | 05 June 2025
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As LIFE BIOBEST concludes its 2.5-year journey of research, best-practice dissemination, and capacity building, we are gathering a group of leading experts, frontrunners and key policymakers in bio-waste management to:
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- Present LIFE BIOBEST’s comprehensive resources and tools developed for municipal and regional authorities to enhance their bio-waste management systems and overcome local challenges;
- Share our key policy recommendations addressing current gaps in EU bio-waste management
- Discuss the future of the sector and necessary steps forward
Event Details:
Date: June 5th, 2025
Time: 9:30 AM - 13:30 PM
Location: BIP Meeting Center (Salle des Guichets), Brussels
Format: In-person
Capacity: 100 seats
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For any questions, feel free to reach out to manon@zerowasteeurope.eu.
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European Parliament and Council | Soil Monitoring Law
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Agreement reached on the Soil Monitoring Law
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After months of negotiations, the Parliament and the Council agreed on 10 April on a final text regarding the Soil Monitoring Law.
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The content of the final text is clearly less ambitious than the initial proposal from the Commission. Member States are not required to implement sustainable soil management practices but only have to support land owners and managers to improve soil health and resilience through advice and training for example. It is important to stress that no obligations have been imposed on land owners and managers. Regarding the criteria to determine healthy soil condition (3 different classes), a more flexible approach has been adopted for Member States. One mandatory soil descriptor for biodiversity has been maintained, plus a list of voluntary ones. Also, a new descriptor for contaminants will have to include at least PFAS, pesticides and pesticides metabolite, taking into account an indicative list of contaminants set up by the Commission. However, there is no requirements for the choice and number of substances. The final text still refers to the non-binding target to achieve healthy soils by 2050.
This text should be published soon but it still needs to be formally approved by the Council and the Parliament (possibly before the summer) before entering into force.
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European Commission | Bioeconomy Strategy
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Open public consultation on the Bioeconomy Strategy until 23 June
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The update of the 2012 Bioeconomy Strategy, expected by the end of 2025, aims to advance innovation and maintain the EU’s leadership in the bioeconomy, and will focus on reinforcing circularity and sustainability, while contributing to the decarbonisation of the EU economy. It should propose actions to unlock the potential of bioeconomy innovations and set favourable framework conditions for bioeconomy start-ups, entrepreneurs and new business models.
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At ECN, we will stress the key role of bio-waste management in a circular bioeconomy.
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The feedback period will last 12 weeks until 23 June.
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European Commission | EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS)
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Open public consultation on the EU ETS until 8 July
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The ETS Directive amended in 2023 requires the European Commission to assess the feasibility of including municipal waste incineration installations in the EU ETS by 31 July 2026 (with a view to include them from 2028), but also to assess the possibility of including the emissions from other waste management processes, in particular landfills. The Commission will then be entitled to present a legislative proposal to include them.
The Commission is asking for feedback on this particular point (among others). The consultation is open until 8 July.
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FertiCovery project | News
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Launch of the FertiCovery website
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As a partner in the FertiCovery project, ECN is glad to announce that the website of the project has officially been launched. On this new hub for insights on sustainable agriculture and soil health, you can find:
❇️ In-depth information and latest news on advancing nutrient recovery and bio-based fertilisers;
❇️ Practical resources on best available technologies for recycling fertilisers from secondary raw materials, such as bio-waste, manure and wastewater;
❇️ Details on upcoming events and ways to collaborate through the Stakeholders Open Forum.
Explore the website here!
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36. Kasseler Abfall- und Ressourcenforum I 8-10 April 2025
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ECN’s insights into biowaste collection in Europe and the road to Best Practices
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The annual conference hosts all sectors of waste management, from practitioners and industry to local and national authorities.
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This year, our Scientific Officer Steffen Walk was invited to discuss current EU level developments in biowaste management. The presentation included the following topics:
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- Current status of biowaste management in Europe: What has happened so far since the EU mandate for separate collection at the end of 2023?
- The LIFE BIOBEST project, in which we formulated guidelines to achieve best practice in the introduction and improvement of biowaste collection and recycling.
- The BRIT-EU project, which aims to homogenise data collection and analysis on the topic of biowaste collection and the development of a BioResource Inventory Tool. The first publication, the “Abfall-Atlas 2022”, already contains results with key data on performance indicators and influencing factors for biowaste and residual waste collection in Germany.
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A major topic of this year’s conference was the entry into force of the amendment of the German Biowaste Ordinance, which sets control and rejection values for biowaste contaminated with physical impurities, especially plastics. Another session included the development of AI-assisted impurity detection technology.
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Events
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European Commission | 5 May 2025
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Workshop ‘Shaping a competitive future for bio-based products and materials in the Bioeconomy Strategy’
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As part of the update of the 2012 Bioeconomy Strategy and the consultation that recently opened, the European Commission (DG GROW and DG ENV) is organising a workshop on the Bioeconomy Strategy on 5 May between 14:00 and 17:00, both in Brussels and online.
You can register here.
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ICAW 2025 I 4-10 May 2025
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Sustainable Communities Begin with Compost!
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This theme was chosen with the aim of highlighting composting in all types of communities at all scales - from backyard home composters, to community composters, to large-scale facilities, to all those who recognise the many benefits of using compost on our soils. As in previous years, the theme was chosen by all the international partners who are part of the International Compost Alliance - making it a truly international theme.
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This year's theme was inspired by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #11 "Sustainable Cities and Communities: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable".
Composting empowers communities and cities to manage their own waste locally, create jobs and support healthy soils with locally produced compost. The theme highlights that by reusing food that would otherwise go to landfill or incineration, we're creating fresh nutrients for the soil, regenerating the earth and providing healthier food for everyone in the community.
By separating your food and garden waste at home, you can help create a more sustainable future for our communities by participating in your local community and city's separate collection scheme.
Please celebrate ICAW 2025 with us! Let us know what events and activities you are planning this week by emailing info@compostnetwork.info.
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Save the date I 14 - 15 May 2025
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BVOR-Demodays
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The BVOR – Dutch Association of Biowaste Processors – is organizing the 14th edition of the BVOR-Demodays on May 14 and 15, 2025. This year, the event will take place at Den Ouden Organic Vlagheide in Schijndel. The BVOR-Demodays are free to attend, and there is no need to register in advance.
During the event, exhibitors will showcase machines for processing green residual streams into products like compost and wood chips. Demonstrations will feature equipment such as chippers, shredders, windrow turners, and screening machines. This year, several electric and hybrid machines will also be on display.
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The BVOR represents producers of compost, biomass, and other renewable raw materials, Den Ouden Organic is one of its members. For more information about the BVOR-Demodays, visit bvor.nl/bvor-demodagen.
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CORE I 5th Thematic Seminar I 20-22 May 2025 I Hungary
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Thematic Seminar on Smart Composting
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The next thematic seminar for our Interreg Project CORE is just around the corner. This time the topic will be Smart Composting. In total the project partners will present 6 good practices titled:
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- Smart Composting for efficient biowaste management
- Smart Biowaste Collection with IoT Sensors
- Compocity – Smart Composting meets sustainable workplace culture with an interactive demonstration of CompoBot
- Chatbot “Müllbert” an AI communication tool for municipal waste companies
- Pocketbook for the closed loop garden
- Neighbourhood composting plants
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Are you interested in smart composting? Follow the project here and learn more about this and other good practices in composting and anaerobic digestion.
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EU Green Week 2025 I 3-5 June 2025
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Circular solutions for a competitive EU
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Europe’s leading environmental conference will take place in Brussels on 3-5 June. This year’s EU Green Week will unpack the “three Cs” – Clean, Competitive & Circular – and explore how to put circularity at the centre of our economic transition. The conference will be an opportunity for knowledge sharing, alliance building and awareness raising about the potential of a circular economy.
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Web-Seminar German Biogas Association I 07 July 2025 I 2:00-4:00 PM (CEST)
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Current issues relating to the implementation of sustainability certification under the Renewable Energy Directive in Germany
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The requirements for sustainability certification in accordance with the Renewable Energy Directive - from 21.05.25 the RED III, (EU) 2023/2413 - repeatedly raise questions about implementation, not only because of the currently pending revision of the BioSt-NachV. These questions and the procedure for sustainability certification at the biogas plant will be discussed in detail in this web seminar.
The event will be in German. You can register here.
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CYPRUS 2025 I 25-28 June 2025
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12th International Conference on Sustainable Solid Waste Management
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The CYPRUS 2025 12th International Conference on Sustainable Solid Waste Management will take place in Paphos, Cyprus from 25th to 28th June 2025. The conference website is available at: https://cyprus2025.uest.gr.
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Anaerobic Digestion, Waste-to-Energy, Waste Valorization, Biotechnology & Biorefineries, Symbiosis and Circular Economy, Recycling & Resources Recovery, Plastics & Bioplastics, Hazardous Waste include indicative conference topics.
The conference will take place both with physical presence and virtually. More than 500 abstracts have already been submitted. The deadline for abstract submission has been extended until 28th February 2025 (https://cyprus2025.uest.gr/abstract-submission/ ).
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9th International Practitioners' Day for Composting
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Following the success of previous International Practitioner Days, the Austrian Compost and Biogas Association invites you to the 9th edition at Erdbau Winkler GmbH in Hartberg, Styria. This event showcases innovations, trends, and visions in composting. With around 404 composting plants in Austria processing 1.56 million tons of biogenic waste annually, new technologies are advancing through partnerships between plant operators and technology suppliers. Leading companies will present mobile shredding machines, and the latest tech in turning, screening, measuring, and more. This event is for plant operators, waste handlers, farmers, contractors, and anyone involved in composting.
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S.O.S Save Organics in Soil
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This international initiative S.O.S. SOIL – Save Organics in Soil, led by the European Compost Network (ECN) and the Italian Composting and Biogas Association (CIC), aims to highlight the importance of soil organic matter to encourage policy makers to develop instruments to move Europe towards implementing sustainable, climate proof soil management practices.
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Sign the manifesto 'Save Organigs in Soil' here.
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ECN-QAS Trade Mark No 011007168
Trade mark for certified quality assurance
organisations, compost and digestate products
according to ECN-QAS
Website: www.ecn-qas.eu
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