Composting
Is a form of Aerobic Digestion. It is a natural process where organic matter typically Green Waste and Food Waste is broken down into a nutrient rich ‘compost’ by various micro-organisms such as bacteria, fungi, insects and worms. The resultant product ‘compost’ is a nutrient and microbe rich material which can be spread or added to land/soil to be used in place of a synthetic fertiliser.
Composting also allows Waste Collection Authorities to divert organic waste away from landfill, helping them to meet landfill diversion targets for Biodegradable Municipal Waste.
The composting of a Waste Collection Authority collected household Green Waste is performed in one of either two ways:
The choice of processing, to a large degree, depends upon whether the Green Waste includes food waste which is Animal By-product Material, in which case it must comply with the Animal By-Products (Enforcement) (England) Regulations 2011. These requirements essentially forces the second choice (or AD or a combination of the two), whereas Green Waste with no Animal By-product Material has the option of Windrow Composting which is a cheaper process and hence has a lower Gate Fee than IVC.