Why should we sort biowaste?

Starting on 1 January 2024, all local authorities in France will be obliged to offer all households a solution to sort biodegradable waste. Made up primarily of peelings, cooking products and meal leftovers, biowaste accounts for more than 30% of household refuse. It is therefore essential to sort it apart and extract value from it.

What is biowaste?

According to article L541-1-1 of the French Environment Code, biowaste is defined as “non-hazardous biodegradable waste from gardens or parks, food or cooking waste from households, offices, restaurants, wholesale, canteens, caterers or retail outlets, as well as similar waste from food processing factories.”

Who produces the most biowaste in France?

Image Who produces the most biowaste in France

Source : ADEME

What are the superpowers of biowaste?

Once it is sorted, biowaste can be reused to help produce renewable energy and improve soil health and fertility.

Anaerobic digestion
Anaerobic digestion converts organic matter into methane (biogas). The process happens in a digester, which is a sealed tank in which the organic matter is digested by bacteria, without the presence of oxygen (therefore anaerobic) and heated to 38°C.

Composting
Composting is an entirely natural biological process that consists of fermenting matter with the assistance of moisture and oxygen. This process increases the matter’s temperature to 55/65°C, which destroys the undesirable microorganisms and transforms the various inputs (garden or food waste for example) into a homogeneous product, compost, which has soil fertilising and improvement qualities.