PAS100 and the associated Quality Protocol is now the recognised standard within the UK composting industry, providing Britain’s recycled organics industry more comprehensive information than Australian operators have access to. So how does it work? Jim Frederickson, a senior research fellow with the Integrated Waste Systems research group at the Open University in the UK, will explain the UK system to delegates at the WasteQ conference in Brisbane.

Developed by the British Standards Institution (BSI) and revamped in 2005, the standard sets out criteria for the production of compost. It covers composted materials from business and community facilities and considers a wide but well-defined range of waste types.

Hazards are identified and eliminated by Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HCCP) analysis prior to starting, with other controls mandating metal limits and biological testing (including e coli and salmonella).

“Despite initial reservations from the waste management industry in the UK, the introduction of the compost specification PAS100 has been a major influence in expanding the composting sector,” says Frederickson.

“Equally, the more recent introduction of the Compost Quality Protocol has been a huge step forward in taking compost out of regulatory control and putting it in the market place where it belongs.”

Against the UK’s more rigorous quality assurance and compliance regimes, he says the Australian standard AS4454 comes off poorly. It does not define what material can be manufactured from, and includes garden and kitchen organics, manure, industrial residues and municipal waste. It does not prescribe heavy metal limits either, instead referring users to state regulations.

Frederickson will be speaking via video link at the Waste Management Association of Australia’s upcoming WasteQ Conference in Brisbane on June 4-5. His keynote presentation will focus on quality standards in sustainable waste and resource management.

Frederickson worked with the BSI on the development of PAS100, the Compost Quality Protocol (CQP) and the PAS100 certification scheme. In 2008/09 he was invited by BSI to work on PAS110, the new specification for anaerobic digestate. He has also been commissioned by WRAP and the UK Environment Agency to develop test methods for PAS100 and PAS110 and for evaluating the performance of mechanical and biological treatment plants.

A major focus of his university research has been devoted to understanding the relationship between waste biodegradability and environmental impact, in particular greenhouse emissions. He is also a leading authority on the use of earthworms in waste and environmental management and currently holds a UK patent relating to earthworms and sustainable land restoration.

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