Biowaste

Biowaste is organic waste from natural plant- or animal-based resources. It consists mainly of food waste (vegetable peelings and other food leftovers) and garden waste (hedge clippings, lawn cuttings, dead leaves …).

Industries and companies have progressively implemented waste sorting and recovery (gradually, depending on the quantities produced), and since January 1st  2024 collectivities have been required to provide an at-source sorting solution for Biowaste in order to recover and re-use it.

Organic materials can be used to feed the soil and keep it fertile if, after preparation, it is used as an organic compost.

Equally, Biowaste decomposes (which is why we say it is putrescible or fermentable) and produces gas (biomethane), which  has energy value, but also contributes to global warming. This decomposition can be exploited at an industrial level to release the energy potential of  Biowaste and avoid the negative impact that it would otherwise have on the environment if it were left to decompose.

Sorting and recovering Biowaste therefore helps to reduce landfill, waste incineration, and the production of greenhouse gases, while the processes put into place to treat it take advantage of its agronomic benefits and energy value by producing standardized materials that can be reused:

• As organic compost as an alternative to products made by the chemical industry (compost instead of fertilizer),
• As an alternative energy source to fossil fuels: biogas from methanisation used as fuel or injected into the grid.

• Maximising reuse,

• Ensuring the quality of product flow,

• Guaranteeing the robustness of equipment that can handle the aggressive nature of the waste to be sorted (notably corrosion),

• Optimising costs,

• Guaranteeing good working conditions,

• Ensuring protection of the environment.