Figure 50 Composition of municipal organic waste collected separately for composting, data 2005/06 (WRAP, 2009 (c))Figure 51 Composting of source segregated waste (WRAP, 2009 (c))Besides composting (either centralised or home composting), anaerobic digestion and incineration with energy
recovery are other possible alternatives that can be used for diverting food and garden waste from landfills. The
outputs from the comparison between these various end-of-life options are summed up in the Table 95. Depletion
of natural resources has not been included because only one of the selected studies assessed this indicator which
does not allow any reliable conclusions to be drawn. The results highlight that landfill should be avoided,
especially for climate change because of the methane emissions. Composting appears to be advantageous
regarding eutrophication thanks to the production of compost that avoids the use of chemical fertilisers which
contribute to this indicator. However, concerning the other indicators, composting was not found to perform well
compared to the other options assessed, although for acidification, no option clearly stands out as the best one.
Composting appears to be the worst option regarding energy demand since it is not associated with energy
recovery, unlike the other alternatives.
Table 95 Overview of the best and worst end-of-life options for managing food and garden waste based on the results of the study^Food^ and^ garden^ waste^ management^
Indicator Best option Worst option
Number of
studies
Climate change Anaerobic digestion Landfill (^7)
Energy demand Incineration Composting (^4)
Acidification No clear preferred option (^4)
Eutrophication Composting Incineration/Landfill (^4)