This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Benchmark standard for compost
13/11/2002
Environment and Rural Development Minister Ross Finnie
today welcomed the launch of a new standard for compost
made from waste.
Mr Finnie said:
"The Executive is committed to reducing the
environmental impacts of poor waste management. Composting
will have an important part to play in reducing the volumes
of waste that Scotland sends to landfill. This will help to
achieve our target of recycling and composting a quarter of
municipal waste by 2006.
"Widely accepted standards will increase the confidence
that commercial and domestic customers have in compost
obtained from waste. Establishing trust in these products
will help to build viable markets for recycled materials
and provide an incentive for local authorities and the
waste industry to invest in the equipment and systems
necessary to sort and compost waste to these standards.
"I welcome WRAP's commitment to develop further
standards for other end uses, such as landscaping. The
Executive is pleased to be contributing to this work,
through our financial contribution to the work of
WRAP."
Developed by The Composting Association (TCA) and BSI
Professional Standards Services, the new benchmark will
boost customer confidence in recycled materials, providing
new opportunities for both local authorities and the waste
industry.
The standard has been sponsored by the Executive backed
Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP).
Converting increasing amounts of waste into
horticultural compost will help meet the Executive's target
to recycle 25 per cent of municipal waste by 2006.
The Composting Association is adopting BSI PAS 100 as
the specification that composted materials must meet in
order to achieve the independently verified Composting
Association accreditation and to use the new logo.
WRAP, a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee, is
supported by
contributions totalling £55m over three years from
DEFRA, the DTI and
the devolved administrations of Scotland, Wales and
Northern Ireland. It has been established to promote
sustainable waste management and to create stable and
efficient markets for recycled materials and products.
WRAP's aim is to work with The Composting Association to
develop and promote industry standards that meet the needs
of end users, create confidence in their use, improve
production methods and increase opportunities to market the
end product.