1. Separate Collection and Biological Treatment
of Food and Bio-Waste in a Circular Economy
Gisela Sommer
Waste Management Technician
Waste Agency of Catalonia, Spain

2. 2The Role of Environmental Taxes Applied to Municipal Solid Waste
ARC is a public enterprise
within the Planning &
Sustainability Department of
the Government of Catalonia.
• Competences
– Municipal waste
– Industrial waste
– Construction waste and debris
– Manure & Livestock (jointly
with Agriculture Department)
– Sanitary waste and
– Soil recovery
www.arc-cat.net Info 900 900 408
ARC has own competences on
waste generated in Catalonia
and also on all waste which are
managed within Catalonia

3. 3The Role of Environmental Taxes Applied to Municipal Solid Waste

4. 4
MSW Management in Catalonia:
Competent authorities
4
947 Municipalities
Authorities responsible
for MSW collection
May delegate obligations to
 Consortia
 Consells Comarcals (County Councils)
 Associations of municipalities
 Etc.
23/10/2014

5. 5
What is Biowaste?
Waste Framework Directive (2008/98/EC) defines bio-
waste as:
“biodegradable
• garden and park waste,
• food and kitchen waste from households,
restaurants, caterers and retail premises
• comparable waste from food processing
plants”.

6. 6
Biowaste definition in Catalonia
The Organic Fraction of the Municipal Solid
Waste: OFMSW
Garden and Park Waste

7. 7
Objectives and Targets regarding
Biowaste: EU
Art. 9:
 reduce the generation of food waste in
primary production, processing and
manufacturing, retail and other distribution
of food, restaurants and food services and
Households by half
Proposal for Amendment of
Framework Directive 2008/98/EC
Art. 11:
 Increase preparation for reuse and
recycling of MSW in to at least 65% in
weight by 2030
Proposal for Amendment of
Directive 1999/31/EC on the
landfill of waste
Art. 5:
 reduce the amount of MSW
landfilled to 10 % of the total MSW
generated by 2030
Circular Economy Package

8. 8
Objectives and Targets regarding
Biowaste: Catalonia
PRECAT 20
General Program for Waste prevention and management and resources in Catalonia 2020:
Strategic objectives:
 Promote the consideration of
waste as resource
 Prevent climate change
 Soil protection and improvement
 Waste prevention
 Promote preparation for reuse
 Increment material recovery with
view to circular economy
 Abandon gradually landfilling and
incineration of recoverable waste
Quantitative targets:
 Reduction of 50% food waste
production, reference year 2010 in
retail, catering and households
 Material recycling: 60% in weight of
biowaste in 2020
 End of 2016: reduction targets for primary
and agrifood sector, including wholesale
distribution
Qualitative targets:
 Biowaste: contaminant materials < 10
% in 2020

9. 9
MSW in Catalonia:
Generation, composition, management
9
MSW Composition
Analysis 2013
23/10/2014
MSW Management
29,6%
OFMSW
7,7%
Garden & Park
Waste

10. 10
10,3 7,4 4,4 3,6 12,6 61,7
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
1
MSW in Catalonia:
Separate Collection 2014
10
Total MSW amount 2014:
2.250.849 t375.262 t 271.428 t 162.447 t 129.956 t
3.650.849 t
Separately collected Residual waste
New target [PRECAT20]
in 2020
485 kg/inh./y
49,9
kg/inh./y
36,1
kg/inh./y
21,06
kg/inh./y
16,9
kg/inh./y
294,8
kg/inh./y
Other waste
separately collected

11. 11
Necessity for Bio-waste Prevention
Framework Directive 2008/98/EC
Waste Prevention Highest Priority
However...
Mediterranian conditions:
• Poor soils
• Erosion
• Desertification
sustainable option:
• Separate collection
• Biological treatment
• Application to soil
of Bio-waste
Life-cycle-Thinking
Source: JRC Scientific and Technical Reports, Supporting Environmentally Sound Decisions for Bio-Waste Management, 2011, EUR 24917 EN

12. 12
Necessity for Bio-waste prevention:
Food waste
Social and ethical impact
Nearly one billion people suffer from hunger
worldwide
Economic impact
Total economic loss: 841 M€ in Catalonia (2010)
Environmental impact
Greenhouse gas emissions: 520.700 tonnes of CO2 eq in 2010
in Catalonia (equivalent of emissions from 20.300 motor vehicles
throughout their working life)

13. 13
Necessity for Bio-waste prevention:
Food waste

14. 14
Food-waste prevention in Catalonia
The Diagnosis of Food Waste
in Catalonia (2010)*
* Waste from wholesale
distribution, the agrifood industry or the
primary sector not considered in the study

15. 15
Food-waste prevention in Catalonia
The diagnosis proposed actions for following sectors:
• Administration
• Production and manufacture
• Distribution
• Restaurants and catering
• Homes
Published in 2012
Available at:
http://residus.gencat.cat/web/.conten
t/home/lagencia/publicacions/centre_
catala_del_reciclatge__ccr/guia_cons
um_responsable_en.pdf
Diagnosis of food wastage in the primary, agrifood and
wholesale distribution sectors scheduled for 2016

16. 16
Food-waste prevention in Catalonia
Action: Communication campaign
 TRAVELLING EXHIBITION
 Explains the origin of waste
and how we can prevent it.
It is complemented with a
practical workshop
 TV PROGRAMME (11 chapters)
 Each spot (3’) approaches the issue from a different angle using well-known
celebrities

17. 17
Food-waste prevention in Catalonia
 VIDEO CLIP
 THE WEB somgentdeprofit.cat
 APP
 INSTAGRAM (15’’ animations)
Action: Communication campaign

18. 18
Food-waste prevention in Catalonia
Action: Education and capacity building
 Publication of education
material for schools and
retail and catering
sector
 Conferences and seminars

19. 19
Food-waste prevention in Catalonia
Action: Awareness raising
6th European Week for Waste Reduction (LIFE Project)
 Held from 22nd to 30th November 2014 all over Europe
 Actors involved: public authorities, companies, schools,
associations and citizens.
 Results for 2014: 11,995 actions in 34 European regions
(871 Catalan actions)
Action: Support for local projects
750.000 € in economic subsidies and technical support (2015):
•Catalan Food Bank Foundations (since 2007)
•Local bodies and non-for profit organisations
(since 2010)
Collaboration with other institutional initiatives

20. 202023/10/2014
Bio-waste collection in Catalonia:
External factors
• Topography
• Type of Settlement
• Climate
• Housing and Urban Structure

21. 2121
Bring Systems:
Efficient Collection Systems for Municipal Solid Wastes
Kerbside Containers
Bio-waste collection in Catalonia:
Separate collection systems
Collection frequency: daily
Collection schedule: at night
to avoid odors
to avoid traffic disturbance

22. Citizens deposit separated
wastes at their door step
Fetch System: Door-to-Door Collection
Efficient Collection Systems for Municipal Solid Wastes
Bio-waste collection in Catalonia:
Separate collection systems

23. Bio-waste collection in Catalonia:
Separate collection systems

24. 24
Example: 5 Fractiones D-t-D
Efficient Collection Systems for Municipal Solid Wastes

25. 25
Catalonia‘s 41 Counties:
Separate Collection 2014: Biowaste,
paper, glass and packaging (kg/inh./y)
Door-to-Door
collection widely
implemented

26. 26
Catalonia‘s 41 Counties:
Gross and Nett Separate Collection of
Bio-waste 2014: in kg/inh/y
Counties with
Door-to-Door
Collection

27. 27
Bio-waste treatment in Catalonia:
Compost

28. 28
Bio-waste treatment in Catalonia:
Anaerobic Digestion+Composting
PROs
 Requires less area
 Allows better management of
emissions / odors
 Allows recovery of energy
(biogas)
 Fuel for vehicles
CONs
 High costs (investment
/management)
 More sofisticated and sensitive
technology
 Requires high input quantities
 Requires homogeneous input
 More feasible on the industrial
scale
4 Facilities

29. 29
Bio-waste treatment in Catalonia:
Composting
PROs
 Simple, robust technology
 Flexibility (capacity/modules)
 Biological process less
complicated
 Process allows and requires
input of woody materials
(green waste)
 Lower costs
(investment/management)
than AD
CONs
 Slower process
20 Facilities

30. 30
Bio-waste treatment in Catalonia:
Composting
Diversity of Settlements and topography
Diversified approach to biological treatment
Home and Communty Composting
•2014 : 423 Municipalities - 5.970 t of Biowaste treated
•Investment and operational cost very low
•Proximity - less waste transport
•High identification of the citizens

31. 31
Bio-waste treatment in Catalonia:
Composting
Small decentralised facilities, of simple and robust
technology for high quality bio-waste
• Adequate for smaller waste amounts (<2.000 t)
• Lower investment and operational costs
• Relatively high surface demand
• High quality bio-waste required
Diversity of Settlements and topography
Diversified approach to biological treatment

32. 32
Bio-waste treatment in Catalonia:
Composting
Centralised big and medium sized composting facilities
• Adequat for large quantities of biowaste
• Higher investment and operational cost
• Relatively low surface demand
• Housed facilities require air treatment
(odours)
Diversity of Settlements and topography
Diversified approach to biological treatment

33. 33
Bio-waste treatment in Catalonia:
Product: Compost
Compost produced from municipal biowaste :
45.000 – 50.000 t/y
Applied in
 Horticulture
 Viticulture
 Olive plantations
 Cereal farming
 …
Application dose:
15-20 tonnes/ha
Depending on technical feasibility,
crop and soil condition
Compost
Nutrients
Organic Matter 350 kg/t
Available N 10 kg/t
Posphorus (P2O5) 18 kg/t
Potassium (K2O) 13kg/t
Nutrient Demand*
Winter
Cereal
Horti-
culture
40 kg/ha 200 kg/ha
80 kg/ha 80 kg/ha
60 kg/ha 300 kg/ha
Compost Demand
t/ha
6-10 t/ha 20 t/ha
*Average values, wide range of variety according to species, crop
and expected yield

34. 34
Bio-waste treatment in Catalonia:
Product: Compost
Example for marketing:
Consortium for Waste
Management of Bages County

35. 35The Role of Environmental Taxes Applied to Municipal Solid Waste
Bio-waste management in Catalonia:
Fiscal incentives
5 Spanish Autonomous Communities
 Tax on waste disposal
 Only Catalonia:
Disposal Tax on MSW
Objectives
• Create Revenues
 Catalan Waste Management Fund
• Steer Behaviour
 Discourage disposal
 Stimulate separate collection

36. 36
Disposal Tax per Ton of MSW
Year
2004-2008 -- 10,00 € --
The Role of Environmental Taxes Applied to Municipal Solid Waste
 Disposal tax: €/t
23/10/2014
Gate Fee
+
yes 10,00 € 5,00 €
no 20,00 € 15,00 €
2009
yes 19,10 € 9,00 €
no 28,70 € 20,20 €
2015
Development of the Disposal Tax

37. 37The Role of Environmental Taxes Applied to Municipal Solid Waste37
Disposal
tax
23/10/2014
Impact of the Waste Disposal Tax
NO
separate
collection

38. 38The Role of Environmental Taxes Applied to Municipal Solid Waste
Refunding of the Disposal Tax
Refund criteria
• Separate Collection of Bio-waste
The Role of Environmental Taxes Applied to Municipal Solid Waste
Refunding is subject
to a quality coeffient
applied per ton, based
on periodical
characterisations.
At 15 % of impurities
the refunding is 0.
10,- €/t

39. 39The Role of Environmental Taxes Applied to Municipal Solid Waste
Refunding of the Disposal Tax
Refund criteria
• Biological Treatment of Net Biowaste
2004 2011 2015
€/t €/t €/t
Biowaste (Organic Fraction
of MSW)
Local authority
performing separate
collection
32,50 33,50 34,00
Green Waste
Local authority
performing separate
collection
3,00
Home composting 20,- per unit 20,- per unit
Community composting 60,- per unit 60,- per unit
Local authority that
has installed
composting units
Type of activity Beneficiary

40. 40The Role of Environmental Taxes Applied to Municipal Solid Waste
Refunding of the Disposal Tax
Positive Steering Instrument
• Incentive for Separate Collection
• Incentive for biological treatment
of Biowaste

41. 414123/10/2014
More information
Biological treatment and separate collection of Biowaste
http://www.regions4recycling.eu/upload/public/Good-
Practices/GP_ARC_Biowaste-collection.pdf
Waste disposal tax
http://www.regions4recycling.eu/upload/public/Good-
Practices/GP_ARC_Disposal-tax.pdf
Separate Collection of MSW in Catalonia
http://residus.gencat.cat/en/ambits_dactuacio/recollida_selectiva/index.html
MSW Statistics in Catalonia
http://estadistiques.arc.cat/ARC/
Door-to-Door Collection
ASSOCIATION OF CATALAN MUNICIPALITIES FOR DOOR-TO-DOOR
COLLECTION
http://www.portaaporta.cat/en/index.php

42. 42
THANKS FOR
YOUR
ATTENTION!
and
special thanks to the colleagues of the
Organic Waste Management Department
of ARC