Boosting Biowaste Valorisation—Do We Need an Accelerated Regional Implementation of the European Law for End-of-Waste?

Abstract

The valorisation of municipal and household biowaste as a relevant component of the EU’s Circular Economy Strategy is currently under discussion. However, there are several legal, technical and economic challenges associated with biowaste valorisation. This paper aims to pinpoint factors affecting biowaste supply chains using the PESTEL+I method and stakeholder workshops. Our analysis focuses on the macro-environment of an integrated biowaste conversion and valorisation concept in the region of Wallonia, Belgium. One key influencing factor is the EU’s legal framework on waste, which describes the end-of-waste status and defines criteria for biowaste reuse. While the analysis shows that EU regulations support biowaste valorisation, its transposition into national and regional law is lagging behind. The technological development of biowaste concepts might be hampered and many questions related to the marketisation of bio-based products remain unanswered. We therefore suggest that legal procedures for biowaste management have to be facilitated at the regional level. The region of Wallonia should establish a category for biowaste that would include standardized procedures for biowaste valorisation and products. It is essential that such regional barriers be overcome to establish the necessary cooperation with local stakeholders and to transfer biowaste supply chains to the market.