A new annual market survey of the UK composting and biological treatment industry for 2007/08 was carried out on behalf of the Association for Organics Recycling (AFOR) and the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP). As the report states, the quantity of source segregated organic waste composted in 2007/08 was 4.5 million tonnes according to extrapolations based on the independently verified WasteDataFlow statistics.

This was an increase of 9 percent on the revised estimate of 4.1 million tonnes of organic waste composted in 2006/07. In total, 88 percent of this was municipal waste with just under half of the municipal waste coming from materials deposited at civic amenity sites, and just under a further half from household kerbside collections.

It was estimated that up to 1.1 million tonnes of source segregated waste processing capacity stayed unused. And approximately 137,000 tonnes of unused mixed waste processing capacity were available in the UK. Total processing capacity in the UK during 2007/08 was estimated at around 5.7 million tonnes.

Commenting on the recent survey, Jeremy Jacobs Managing Director of the Association said: " This survey reflects the continued growth within the organics sector in spite of the recessionary trend seen elsewhere and demonstrates that the markets for compost continues to grow, especially in the farming sector'".

The sector is estimated to be worth in excess of £160 million with continued investment particularly in the processing of food waste through aerobic in vessel and anaerobic digestion technologies.

The Market Survey can be downloaded under organics-recycling.org.uk.

Quelle: Association for Organics Recycling (AFOR)

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