Food Waste

Food and organic waste constitute a large part of the municipal solid waste stream in Copenhagen. 

The organic waste contains valuable nutrients, such as phosphorus, nitrogen, potassium and carbon, which should be returned to the soil in order to prevent soil depletion and degradation. Also, organic waste can be used for production of methane, which can be used for energy production or transportation fuels, and it might even be a feedstock for organisms producing acids, proteins or other valuable materials.

When it comes to the residue from biogas-production, which is applied as a fertilizer on farmland, The City of Copenhagen wishes to gain more knowledge about the undesirable parts of the waste e.g. microplastics and visible impurities, and how they behave in the environment.

Another undiscovered field are the possibilities for utilizing and recycling the waste from the pre-treatment, which, today, is sent to incineration. This waste fraction contains collection bags, plastic, metal and almost 50 % organic matter, such as larger pieces of rigid peels and other types of food waste that cannot be pulped in the pre-treatment process.

Please contact us if you wish to collaborate or engage in dialogue about organic waste management in Copenhagen.