Development of Guidelines for the Municipal Management of Biowaste in the Baltic States

This project looks at the management of bio-waste to promote a circular economy in the Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania).

Development of Guidelines for the Municipal Management of Biowaste in the Baltic States

The EU Directive 2008/98 on waste management was introduced by the European Union in order to establish a pioneering role in the world for linking a modern economy with a low impact on the environment. Directive 2018/851 further increased the targets of this directive. As biowaste makes up a large proportion of municipal waste, the guidelines set out precise requirements for the management of biodegradable waste. This focus was chosen in this project because EU directives will regulate the collection of this type of waste from 2024 and its recycling from 2025. In conclusion, achieving the targets for a circular economy within the EU requires the introduction of efficient management of biowaste in the coming years.
In the Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania), a small proportion of biodegradable waste is collected separately and recycled in accordance with the directives. In Germany, this figure is above the EU average. It is therefore essential to transfer knowledge from Germany in order to manage biowaste at a high level.
As regulations on waste recycling in the Baltic States are enacted at municipal level, the project aims to develop guidelines on biowaste management for local authorities. In order to achieve a large multiplier effect, municipal representatives will be involved throughout the project. 
The project begins with a needs analysis of biowaste management in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. In order to achieve a high resolution of the processes under consideration, a waste management region will be selected as a case study in the subsequent work packages. In order to present the relevant processes to the participants and to enable an exchange, a field visit will be carried out in the next step. To present solutions and approaches from Germany, a study trip to environmental technology providers in Germany and a local workshop with the participation of German experts will follow. At the end of the project, the collected findings will lead to the development of guidelines for the management of biowaste in municipalities.

Development of Guidelines for the Municipal Management of Biowaste in the Baltic States