EUROPEAN NORMS

The regulations regarding the production and use of compost is the task of the different Member States of the European Union, as no directives have been issued to regulate the quality of compost and to standardise national norms.

The European Commission has started work on a common European norm for the management of biodegradable waste which has led to the issue of several working documents by the Commission on the Environment for discussion by Member States, which should result in a Proposed Bill to be issued by the Commission by the end of 2004.
The European Commission has recently issued a draft document which summarises the progress made in the fields of "sludges" and "biodegradable waste" to be integrated in the "Soil Thematic Strategy", which should be adopted in September.

• Biological treatment of Biowaste, 3rd draft [90 kb PDF]
• Comment by the CIC on the Working Document on Sludges and Biodegradable Waste in the field of the EU strategy for Soil Protection [83 kb MS Word]

At the moment there are several norms at the European Union level concerning specific aspects:

• The criteria for awarding the Marchio Comunitario di qualità ecologica agli ammendanti e substrati (Italian), established by the Commission in Document no. 688/2001
  
  
• The requirements for named products: household waste transformed into compost for use as a fertiliser and soil enhancer in organic farming (Regulation no.1488 issued 29 July 1997 by the Commission which modifies the regulation EEC no. 2092/91 of the Council relating to the methods of organic production of agricultural products and the indication of this method on agricultural products and foodstuffs). For further information see also the website of the Experimental Institute for Plant Nutrition:
  http://www.isnp.it/fertab
  
  
• Health regulations relating to products of animal origin not destined for human consumption
  Download REGOLAMENTO (CE) N. 1774/2002 DEL PARLAMENTO EUROPEA E DEL CONSIGLIO (Italian), del 3 ottobre 2002
  
  
• The Austrian Government's opinion regarding the norm on the treatment of waste of animal origin, and in particular of catering waste.
  Opinion of the Austrian government (Italian) [54 kb PDF]
  

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NATIONAL NORMS

For quality compost, obtained from organic materials obtained from household waste, the relevant norms are:

Norms relating to waste, Law 22 of 5 February 1997, with subsequent modifications, and Technical Norms for implementing Law 22/97 (in particular that of 5 February 1998: Identification of non-hazardous waste subject to simplified procedures for recovery, in article 31 and 33 of Law 22/97)
The norms regarding waste can be referred to at Ministero dell'Ambiente e del Territorio (WWW.MINAMBIENTE.IT)

Norms regarding fertilisers, L.748/84 and subsequent modifications and integration, in particular by D.M. 27 marzo 1998 modifying norms established by part 1C of the Law of 19 October 1984