Compost produced under the protocol will allow users to spread it onto land without having to register with the Environment Agency for a waste exemption.
“This will boost the UK composting market by making it easier for businesses to market their compost as a desirable quality product to key markets such as landscaping, agriculture and horticulture,” explained Martin Brocklehurst, the EA’s head of environmental protection external programmes.
“These markets can also be confident that the compost they are buying will be of a high environmental standard.”
The quality protocol, which will apply in England and Wales, will also benefit local authorities as it will give them confidence that the organic waste they send for recycling is composted to a high standard – a helpful lever with LATS targets.