Page 14 - U4SSC Case study: Reducing food waste, June 2020

Oslo has a circular waste management system where the waste is used as raw materials in industry.
Buses and waste trucks run on environmentally friendly biogas produced from food waste and sewerage.
Bio-fertilizers and soil products from food waste, sewerage and garden waste are used, for example,
by local farmers, residents and in the urban areas.

The smart project

Vision and content

Oslo is aiming to have a circle-based waste management system. By recycling and recovery, the
resources in the waste should be introduced back to citizens in the form of raw materials for production,
compost and soil qualities for gardens and farmers, and energy in form of biogas for trucks and buses,
district heating and electricity.

City-wide vision and strategy

The city government aims to make Oslo a greener, fairer and more creative city for everyone.
The government also aims to improve local food production and develop a cycle-based resource
management. The political programme includes a vision for reducing waste through circular and
sustainable consumption, including re-use, sharing and recycling. In a circular economy, the resources
should be kept in cycles with 100 per cent re-use and recycling of suitable waste. In June 2016, the
City Council passed the Climate and Energy Strategy for Oslo. This lays out targets to cut emissions by
36 per cent by 2020 and by 95 per cent by 2030.

The circular bio-resources are part of circular resource management. The use of renewable biogas on
buses and waste collection trucks in the city, contributes to the reduction of emissions.

Waste management system in Oslo

Oslo has a cycle-based waste management system. Household waste is separated at source and
collected according to waste type, with the aim of acquiring clean waste streams for recycling. Food
waste and plastic packaging is source-separated by the citizens in green and blue plastic bags. The
coloured bags are put in the same waste bin as residual waste. The sorting facilities optically recognize
the colours and the green and blue bags are separated from residual waste. The collection system
covers all citizens.

Oslo’s biogas plant is transforming food waste into biogas, which is used as fuel by buses and waste
collection trucks in the city. The biogas plant also produces bio-fertilizer which is used by local farmers to
produce food. The plant has the capacity to process 50 000 tonnes of food waste per year. This provides
sufficient biogas for 135 buses, and enough bio-fertilizer for 100 medium-sized farms. The biogas is
carbon-neutral and is considered one of the most eco-friendly fuel alternatives available today. Bio-
fertilizer contains many important nutrients and can replace current fossil-based chemical fertilizers.

8 Case study: Reducing food waste, June 2020