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Recycling Organic Waste
Recycling Takes A Leap Forward: The US and UK Experience
As mentioned earlier, municipal waste has high levels of organic matter. A study by the EPA in
1998 entitled Organic Materials Management Strategies concluded this figure to be as high as
85%; comprising mainly of food scraps, paper and yard trimmings.
Despite large quantities of available organic matter for composting, there was no major
groundswell in the US to commercialise the process prior to the 1980s. This was due to the high
costs of operations, the rather arduous process of converting organic matter into marketable
compost and the low yield on returns. There was also no discernible market for this by-product.
The tide it seems is changing.
Several factors that have contributed to the viability of large-scale composting is now evident; from
advancement in composting science, increasing awareness of the benefits of organic compost
to growing demand led by the agricultural sector.
In Composting: The Art And Science Of Converting Organic Waste To A Valuable Soil Resource,
Professor Leslie R. Cooperbrand estimated that composting municipal organic by-products
could potentially generate cost-savings of US$9 to US$38 a tonne over current landfill disposal
methods.
Given the obvious potential benefits – both environmental and economic – it is heartening to note
that recycling efforts have increased and with that, commercial composting as a viable business.
In tandem, the use of incinerators and landfills have also decreased. It is interesting to note that
in the US, sharp spikes in recycling and compost activities have been driven by states with the
most to lose – states that had scarcity of land for landfills. The table below provides a progress
snapshot using statistics compiled by the EPA.
In the United Kingdom, the results have been less spectacular. Compared to its European
neighbours and even the US, the UK appears to have had much less progress, despite the
longevity of its history and relatively high level of public awareness. The government cannot be
faulted for not trying. In a White Paper on the Environment in 1990 entitled Waste Strategy 2000,
the authorities set an impressive 25 percent recycling target by year 2000. A raft of schemes and
incentives were devised on how to make this happen.
Almost a decade and a half later, Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs) dot the counties, kerbside
recycling schemes are commonplace, 45 percent of local councils provide centralised
composting schemes and 66 percent provide home composting bins to its constituency. The
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) does its bit by providing funding,
guidelines and targets to enable councils to achieve national objectives.
So, how far have the Brits come? A progress check shows that predominantly, the UK still relies
heavily on landfills. Of total municipal waste, a disproportionately high 75 percent is disposed of
in this way while incineration accounts for nine percent and recycling 16 percent (The
Environment Agency, 2004). In an August 2004 press release by Defra, based on the Municipal
Waste Management Survey for England for 2002/03, the figure for recycling and composting of
household waste was reported as 14.5 percent. This falls far short of the optimistic targets set
back in 1990. This recycling rate is also quite tawdry compared to many European nations’
progress: 49.7 percent in Switzerland (year 2000), 48 percent in Germany (1996), 46 percent in
the Netherlands (1998) and 40 percent in Norway (2000) to name a few.
Recognising how slack the progress has been and the importance of not dragging their feet, the
Selective Committee on Environment, Food and Rural Affairs set some new lofty goals which
were published in May 2003. These include a reduction of landfill to 35 percent by 2020 and an
increase in recycling and compost to 33 percent by 2015.
Recycling Takes A Leap Forward: The US and UK Experience
As mentioned earlier, municipal waste has high levels of organic matter. A study by the EPA in
1998 entitled Organic Materials Management Strategies concluded this figure to be as high as
85%; comprising mainly of food scraps, paper and yard trimmings.
Despite large quantities of available organic matter for composting, there was no major
groundswell in the US to commercialise the process prior to the 1980s. This was due to the high
costs of operations, the rather arduous process of converting organic matter into marketable
compost and the low yield on returns. There was also no discernible market for this by-product.
The tide it seems is changing.
Several factors that have contributed to the viability of large-scale composting is now evident; from
advancement in composting science, increasing awareness of the benefits of organic compost
to growing demand led by the agricultural sector.
In Composting: The Art And Science Of Converting Organic Waste To A Valuable Soil Resource,
Professor Leslie R. Cooperbrand estimated that composting municipal organic by-products
could potentially generate cost-savings of US$9 to US$38 a tonne over current landfill disposal
methods.
Given the obvious potential benefits – both environmental and economic – it is heartening to note
that recycling efforts have increased and with that, commercial composting as a viable business.
In tandem, the use of incinerators and landfills have also decreased. It is interesting to note that
in the US, sharp spikes in recycling and compost activities have been driven by states with the
most to lose – states that had scarcity of land for landfills. The table below provides a progress
snapshot using statistics compiled by the EPA.
In the United Kingdom, the results have been less spectacular. Compared to its European
neighbours and even the US, the UK appears to have had much less progress, despite the
longevity of its history and relatively high level of public awareness. The government cannot be
faulted for not trying. In a White Paper on the Environment in 1990 entitled Waste Strategy 2000,
the authorities set an impressive 25 percent recycling target by year 2000. A raft of schemes and
incentives were devised on how to make this happen.
Almost a decade and a half later, Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs) dot the counties, kerbside
recycling schemes are commonplace, 45 percent of local councils provide centralised
composting schemes and 66 percent provide home composting bins to its constituency. The
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) does its bit by providing funding,
guidelines and targets to enable councils to achieve national objectives.
So, how far have the Brits come? A progress check shows that predominantly, the UK still relies
heavily on landfills. Of total municipal waste, a disproportionately high 75 percent is disposed of
in this way while incineration accounts for nine percent and recycling 16 percent (The
Environment Agency, 2004). In an August 2004 press release by Defra, based on the Municipal
Waste Management Survey for England for 2002/03, the figure for recycling and composting of
household waste was reported as 14.5 percent. This falls far short of the optimistic targets set
back in 1990. This recycling rate is also quite tawdry compared to many European nations’
progress: 49.7 percent in Switzerland (year 2000), 48 percent in Germany (1996), 46 percent in
the Netherlands (1998) and 40 percent in Norway (2000) to name a few.
Recognising how slack the progress has been and the importance of not dragging their feet, the
Selective Committee on Environment, Food and Rural Affairs set some new lofty goals which
were published in May 2003. These include a reduction of landfill to 35 percent by 2020 and an
increase in recycling and compost to 33 percent by 2015.
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ARTICLES
Part 1: Waste Not, Want Not
The origin of early waste
management practices
Part 2: Fighting A Losing Battle?
Increasing consumption leads to a
growing waste management problem
Recycling Organic Waste
Commercialisation of recycling
efforts as part of waste management
efforts (US & UK experience)
Recycling Organic Waste
The Malaysian experience
Origins Of Modern Organic Farming
Discovery of the benefits of
composting
Back to Nature: Economic And
Environmental Concerns
Why the renaissance and interest in
composting?
Coming Soon
In Brief: The Composting Process
Composting Controls
Composting Systems
Part 1: Waste Not, Want Not
The origin of early waste
management practices
Part 2: Fighting A Losing Battle?
Increasing consumption leads to a
growing waste management problem
Recycling Organic Waste
Commercialisation of recycling
efforts as part of waste management
efforts (US & UK experience)
Recycling Organic Waste
The Malaysian experience
Origins Of Modern Organic Farming
Discovery of the benefits of
composting
Back to Nature: Economic And
Environmental Concerns
Why the renaissance and interest in
composting?
Coming Soon
In Brief: The Composting Process
Composting Controls
Composting Systems