The page includes information regarding composting/certification in Scotland. Currently approximately 360,000 tonnes of inputs are composted every year and 97% of all the compost produced in Scotland is certified to PAS100. The figure below shows the portion of compost that is certified to PAS100, what is not certified but is working towards certification and what is unlikely to ever be certified to PAS100.

 

SEPA position statement

Scotland has not, to date, adopted the Compost Quality Protocol, and this is not a requirement for compost producers in Scotland. However, in Scotland compost derived from composting processes and composts that comply with PAS 100's requirements may in some circumstances be considered fully recovered by the regulator, i.e the compost ceases to be ‘waste’ and can be used without further waste regulatory controls. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency's position statement (‘Composting position – September 2004’ here) sets out the conditions that must be met for compost to be considered fully recovered. This position statement was revised in January 2017 - please see below for more information.

Further information is available on the SEPA website regarding understanding the definition of waste.

• Is it waste? - Understanding the definition of waste - SEPA Guidance 
• Supplementary Guidance to “Is it waste?"

Fully recovered composts can be supplied, stored and used as ‘products' in Scotland, however they cannot be supplied for use as a 'product' in England or Wales unless they are also certified compliant with the Compost Quality Protocol. In other words, compost certified to ‘PAS 100 only' which is placed on the market for use, or used, in England, Wales or Northern Ireland is regarded as ‘waste' by the regulator (Environment Agency in England and Natural Resources Wales in Wales, Northern Ireland Environment Agency in Northern Ireland), in which case waste regulatory controls apply to its supply, storage and use.

SEPA has revised their end-of-waste regulatory position for compost (and digestate). The revised statement (issued in January 2017 here) lists a number of conditions that compost producers must comply with in order for the compost to cease being regulated as 'waste', including the requirement for compost to be certified to PAS100, the Scheme Rules, and additional quality standards. These additional standards introduce a phased-in approach to reducing the levels of plastic contained within compost:

• From 1st December 2018: plastic limit 0.08% (66% of current PAS100)
• From 1st December 2019: plastic limit 0.06% (50% of current PAS100)

This aligns plastic contamination limits with Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) standards. SEPA have also published new guidance on food waste management which sets out obligations along the chain of food waste management.