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Biodegradable waste
Bio-waste primarily includes biodegradable garden/park waste as well as household, restaurant, and retail food/kitchen waste. It excludes agricultural residues, manure, sewage sludge, and other biodegradable materials like natural textiles or paper.
Environmental Concerns
- The decomposition of bio-waste in landfills produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas. In the EU-15, landfill methane accounted for about 3% of total GHG emissions in 1995.
- The Landfill Directive (1999/31/EC) mandates Member States to reduce landfilled biodegradable municipal waste to 35% of 1995 levels by 2016 (some countries by 2020).
- Bio-waste (i.e., kitchen, garden, and park waste) typically makes up 30–40% of municipal solid waste in many EU Member States. Around 80–90 million tonnes of bio-waste are generated each year in the EU, although estimates vary.
- In the EU-15 in 1995, methane emissions from landfilled biodegradable waste accounted for about 3% of total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
- Under the Landfill Directive (1999/31/EC), Member States are required to reduce the amount of biodegradable municipal waste going to landfill to 35% of 1995 levels by 2016 (2020 for some countries).
- Between 1995 and 2018, several Member States achieved significant cuts in landfilling (often above a 50% reduction in biodegradable waste landfilling), though progress varies widely across the EU.
- By 2020, many Member States had introduced or expanded separate bio-waste collection systems, with some countries achieving over 70% separate collection rates in pilot regions.
- Composting and digestion now account for a growing share of bio-waste treatment. Some leading countries (e.g., Austria, Germany) compost or anaerobically digest 60–80% of collected bio-waste.
