Dr Dominic Hogg, Eunomia

1. WHERE NOW FOR UK WASTE
POLICY?
#UKADBiogas @adbioresources
CHAIR:
WILLIAM HELLER, TAMAR ENERGY
KEYNOTES:
ANNA KARAMAT, EUROPEAN COMMISSION
DR DOMINIC HOGG, EUNOMIA RESEARCH AND CONSULTING
DR RICHARD SWANNELL, WRAP

2. The Role of Policy in Sustainable
Food Waste Management
UK AD & Biogas 2015:
Where now for UK waste policy?
Dr Dominic Hogg
Chairman
Eunomia Research & Consulting Ltd.
1st July 2015

3. Policy on Food Waste
• EU
• Article 4 of WfD (the waste hierarchy)
1. The following waste hierarchy shall apply as a priority order in waste
prevention and management legislation and policy:
(a) prevention;
(b) preparing for re-use;
(c) recycling;
(d) other recovery, e.g. energy recovery; and
(e) disposal.
2. When applying the waste hierarchy referred to in paragraph 1, Member
States shall take measures to encourage the options that deliver the best
overall environmental outcome.
This may require specific waste streams departing from the hierarchy where
this is justified by life-cycle thinking on the overall impacts of the generation
and management of such waste.

4. Policy on Food Waste
• EU
• Article 10
1. Member States shall take the necessary measures to ensure that waste undergoes
recovery operations, in accordance with Articles 4 and 13.
2. Where necessary to comply with paragraph 1 and to facilitate or improve recovery,
waste shall be collected separately if technically, environmentally and economically
practicable and shall not be mixed with other waste or other material with different
properties
• Article 22
Member States shall take measures, as appropriate, and in accordance with Articles 4
and 13, to encourage:
(a) the separate collection of bio-waste with a view to the composting and digestion of
bio-waste;
(b) the treatment of bio-waste in a way that fulfils a high level of environmental
protection;
(c) the use of environmentally safe materials produced from bio-waste.
The Commission shall carry out an assessment on the management of bio-waste with a
view to submitting a proposal if appropriate. The assessment shall examine the
opportunity of setting minimum requirements for bio-waste management and quality
criteria for compost and digestate from bio-waste, in order to guarantee a high level of
protection for human health and the environment

5. Policy on Food Waste
• England
• Waste (England and Wales) Regulations
• Guidance on applying the Waste Hierarchy
• Scotland
• Waste (Scotland) Regulations
• Commercial waste collections
• Support for LA food waste collections
• Wales
• Strong support for LA food waste collection and treatment
• Environment Bill 2017
• Northern Ireland
• Food Waste Regulations (NI) 2015

6. Policy on Food Waste
• UK
• Courtauld Agreement
• Hospitality and Food
Service Agreement

7. Residual Waste Treatment Capacity
Source: Eunomia Residual Waste Infrastructure Review, June 2015

8. Food Waste Treatment Capacity
Source: Eunomia Anaerobic Digestion Market Update, June 2014

9. A No-brainer?
• Guidance on hierarchy says ‘food waste to AD’ most
preferable
• Food waste collection is rarely not (any more)
‘technically, environmentally and economically
practicable’

10. LA Food Waste Collection
Source: Eunomia

11. Residual Waste – Over-specification
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
IncinerationRate
Recycling Rate
Roughly a quarter
of English LAs…
… plus the others

12. A No-brainer?
• Guidance on hierarchy says ‘food waste to AD’ most
preferable
• Food waste collection is rarely not (any more)
‘technically, environmentally and economically
practicable’
• Why is the hierarchy not being enforced as per
Regulation 12 of the Regulations?

13. How About a Ban on Landfilling Food Waste?
• Please, no
• Why?
• Identification and implications
• How many loads of residual waste contain food?
• … even after separate collection?
• Recipe for over-capacity
• What if you’re not landfilling?
• A ban on landfilling food waste will not lead to it being recycled if it’s
currently incinerated
• The aim is to make recycling (and prevention) happen,
not ‘make landfill not happen’

14. Other policies
• Animal By-products
• Have we got it right?
• In need of overhaul?
• (food waste with DG SANCO….)

15. www.eunomia.co.uk
@Eunomia_RandC
mail@eunomia.co.uk

16. WHERE NOW FOR UK WASTE
POLICY?
#UKADBiogas @adbioresources
CHAIR:
WILLIAM HELLER, TAMAR ENERGY
KEYNOTES:
ANNA KARAMAT, EUROPEAN COMMISSION
DR DOMINIC HOGG, EUNOMIA RESEARCH AND CONSULTING
DR RICHARD SWANNELL, WRAP