Biowaste is biodegradable garden and park waste and food and kitchen waste generated in households, offices, retail premises, wholesale companies and catering establishments and comparable waste generated in the food processing industries.
Overview
The separate collection of biowaste is important for several reasons:
- landfill gas, which is a greenhouse gas with a significant impact, is released from biowaste deposited in a landfill together with other waste;
- when collected together with mixed household waste, biowaste soils other waste materials that could otherwise be sorted out and recycled;
- biowaste contains important plant nutrients, which are a valuable resource in both home gardens and agriculture;
- in the production of biogas from biowaste, we can use the energy contained in it as fuel and its fermentation residue as agricultural fertiliser.
Collection of biowaste by type is growing
By the end of 2023 at the latest, local governments were required to organize separate collection of bio-waste at the point of origin, if it is not composted at the point of origin. As a result, the amount of separately collected bio-waste has significantly increased. In 2023, 9,400 tons more bio-waste was collected compared to 2022.
How is biowaste handled in Estonia?
Biowaste is one of the most important types of household waste because its presence in mixed household waste does not allow waste to be efficiently separated in special sorting plants and the generated materials to be recycled. Currently, various methods for biowaste collection and processing are used. Food waste is collected at the point of origin and removed as part of a procurement organised by the local government. As a rule, green waste, i.e. garden and park waste, is collected through a network of waste treatment plants. Some municipalities organise the collection of garden waste generated by households in autumn and spring directly from homes.
Separately collected biowaste is a valuable resource that can be recycled through the production of compost from it. Besides this, biogas can be produced and used as the energy source. Fallen leaves and grass clippings can be used in small quantities to clean contaminated soil from oil products and other chemical compounds. However, the most environmentally friendly way to recycle biodegradable materials is to compost them where they are generated, for example, in compost bins in homes, yards or workplaces.
Unfortunately, a lot of biowaste ends up in incinerators or landfills together with mixed household waste. This is due to the low proportion of collection by type. As of 2023, approximately 37% of bio-waste was collected separately.