With 132 kg per inhabitant in the EU in 2022, food waste prevention strategies play a key role in minimising EU greenhouse gas emissions. However, prevention cannot stand alone; it is estimated that around 222 kg of bio-waste is generated per capita per year in the EU, with a dedicated approach needed to utilise this waste stream to its full potential. Bio-waste refers to biodegradable materials such as garden and park waste, as well as food and kitchen scraps from households, restaurants, caterers, and retail establishments.

Download the EWWR2024 factsheet
“#ForkToFarm: Bio-waste separation”

Why do we have to separate bio-waste in the EU?

On 1 January 2024, a new mandate for all EU countries to separately collect bio-waste came into force. This means that all 27 member states are required by law to offer services that enable citizens and businesses to separate their food and garden waste from other waste streams like cardboard, metal, or residuals.

Separating bio-waste may seem inconvenient to some citizens initially, who might have concerns about odours or lack of sufficient space for storage. However, with the right set up, bio-waste becomes a valuable community resource, offering several environmental, economic, and societal benefits. For example, diverting food waste from landfills would significantly reduce EU methane emissions, as the waste sector is the second-largest contributor of this potent greenhouse gas within the EU.

Other benefits include improving Europe’s depleted soil health, with the help of extra compost and digestate, as well as providing cost-savings for municipalities through a more optimised collection system. For example, a proper food waste collection programme means residual waste having to be collected far less often, with other recyclables much more likely to be cleaner and therefore of higher value for the secondary material market.

What does separate collection look like?

Some municipalities collect bio-waste according to the door-to-door model (i.e. directly outside of the user’s home), picking up organics on designated days of the week, while others set up dedicated drop-off points/street containers for 24-hour disposal.

Not all systems are created equal, however; data consistently shows that door-to-door systems provide the best results, especially in cases where the system has been tailored to the local community and their needs while utilising the right incentives. Effective strategies like ‘pay-as-you-throw’ schemes or penalties for non-compliance have been shown to significantly boost participation and improve the end result.

But there are also small steps a municipality can take to boost performance. Collecting food waste twice a week in hotter climates for example, or having smaller bins for residual waste, or by offering home composting equipment to households with gardens are all means that are proven to help deliver economic and environmental benefits

How are Member States living up to their commitments?

In July 2024, the European Commission opened an infringement procedure due to the lack of compliance with the EU’s waste collection and recycling targets; 18 of the 27 member states failed to meet the recycling target for 2020, which requires 50% of municipal waste to be prepared for reuse and recycling, including bio-waste.

That means two-thirds of EU countries are currently not living up to their obligations, making it harder for them to not only meet the upcoming recycling targets in 2025, 2030, and 2035 but also support the transition to a more circular Europe operating within planetary boundaries.

Local communities at the forefront of change, from #ForkToFarm

To combat the current stalemate of non-compliance and ineffective implementation, Zero Waste Europe (ZWE) has co-created the #ForkToFarm campaign in collaboration with 7 of its member organisations: Zero Waste Montenegro, The Polish Zero Waste Association, Friends of the Earth Slovakia, Friends of the Earth Bulgaria, ZERO, Zero Waste Alliance Ukraine, and Zero Waste France.

Launched on 9 April 2024, 100 days after the EU’s bio-waste law came into force, the campaign supports local communities in implementing better bio-waste management, raises awareness of effective solutions, and guides EU decision-makers on creating favourable conditions for such systems.

From landfilling to community composting in Montenegro

The work happening in Montenegro exemplifies the campaign’s core aim of providing guidance and support to interested municipalities. Despite a challenging outset, with a waste management landscape largely relying on landfilling (93% of municipal waste was landfilled in 2021), Zero Waste Montenegro has worked with the municipalities of Podgorica, Danilovgrad and Tuzi to set up separate collection and composting pilots across local communities.

So far, the pilots have garnered strong community support. Podgorica even approved the construction of a community composting site, further uniting residents around efficient and sustainable bio-waste management.