Best practice for bio-waste collection as a prerequisite for high-quality compost

Henning Friege; Yasmin Eger

doi:10.1177/0734242X211033714

Best practice for bio-waste collection as a prerequisite for high-quality compost

Henning Friege^*
, Yasmin Eger

^*Corresponding author for this work

School of Sustainability

Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review

21 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Due to its high content of humic substances, compost from bio-waste improves the structure and fertility of soils serving also as a sink for CO₂. But compost is also contaminated with numerous compounds, for example, plastics, glass particles, etc., mostly due to incorrect sorting by the waste producer, that is, households. The contamination even increases when covering areas of a high population density as is also evident from experience in Germany with a steadily increasing proportion of bio-waste. Only compost with high quality and minimum contamination is an acceptable fertilizer. A structured interview of experts investigated which measures or combinations of measures are best suitable to reduce the rate of misplaced materials in the organic waste. Only responsible persons were interviewed whose municipalities extensively collect separately bio-waste since years and have a low rate of unwanted materials. The questions focus on the identification of the misplacements according to their kind and quantity, the respective collection system, the regional statutes and their enforcement as well as the kind and extent of public awareness measures. The respective necessary measures are being discussed. This systemic approach can be transferred to other regions that intend to collect large quantities of bio-waste separately.

Original language	English
Journal	Waste Management and Research
Volume	40
Issue number	1
Pages (from-to)	104-110
Number of pages	7
ISSN	0734-242X
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1177/0734242X211033714
Publication status	Published - 01.01.2022

Bibliographical note

The survey was part of the master thesis performed by Yasmin Eger. We are indebted to all interview partners for their time and their valuable and transparent information. f4transcription software and f4analysis (all media equipment, e.g., audio recording, transcription devices, etc.) was provided by Leuphana University. The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 2 Zero Hunger
SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities

Research areas and keywords

bio-waste
carbon sequestration
compost
microplastic
Organic waste
plastic
public awareness
separate collection
source separation
Biology

ASJC Scopus Subject Areas

Environmental Engineering
Waste Management and Disposal
Pollution

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Cite this

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abstract = "Due to its high content of humic substances, compost from bio-waste improves the structure and fertility of soils serving also as a sink for CO2. But compost is also contaminated with numerous compounds, for example, plastics, glass particles, etc., mostly due to incorrect sorting by the waste producer, that is, households. The contamination even increases when covering areas of a high population density as is also evident from experience in Germany with a steadily increasing proportion of bio-waste. Only compost with high quality and minimum contamination is an acceptable fertilizer. A structured interview of experts investigated which measures or combinations of measures are best suitable to reduce the rate of misplaced materials in the organic waste. Only responsible persons were interviewed whose municipalities extensively collect separately bio-waste since years and have a low rate of unwanted materials. The questions focus on the identification of the misplacements according to their kind and quantity, the respective collection system, the regional statutes and their enforcement as well as the kind and extent of public awareness measures. The respective necessary measures are being discussed. This systemic approach can be transferred to other regions that intend to collect large quantities of bio-waste separately.",

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Best practice for bio-waste collection as a prerequisite for high-quality compost

Abstract

Bibliographical note

UN SDGs

Research areas and keywords

ASJC Scopus Subject Areas

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