Page 15 - U4SSC Case study: Reducing food waste, June 2020

Garden waste is collected at the recycling stations and is composted. The city produces several soil
and compost qualities, and products are used in citizen’s gardens, as well as by professional gardeners
and agencies in the city.

The city also produces biogas and fertilizer from sewerage sludge. The biogas is used as fuel for buses
and the fertilizer is used on grain areas. When the bio-fertilizer and compost are used in gardens, parks
and by local farmers, the cycle of the bio-resources is closed.

The holistic approach to the use of bio-waste is innovative and smart. Oslo is looking into the whole
value chain of food waste, from food waste prevention through using food waste as a resource to
new products. It has been important to communicate to the citizens that by source- sorting their food
waste, they contribute to cleaner air in the city and reduction of CO emissions from the buses and
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waste-collection trucks. They also contribute to the production of new food grown on bio-fertilizer.
The city focuses on the quality of the products by further developing the processes.

At the same time, the city recognizes the importance of reducing food waste and is involved in activities
to reduce the generation of food waste in public canteens, restaurants, grocery stores and among our
citizens. Oslo is also actively working to reduce the inflow of wastewater containing micro-pollutants
into the municipal sewage network, through its two treatment plants, which also produce biogas.
Biogas from food waste and sewerage sludge is marketed together.

The city is at the forefront of the circular use of available resources, such as using bio waste and city
sewage for biogas production, fuelling city buses and waste collection trucks. Waste no longer reaches
an end point but is a resource to exploit. The city owned biogas plant also produces bio-fertilizer from
the food waste, and the fertilizer is used by local farmers to produce food.

Communication is really important to be able to change the sorting habits of the households. Surveys
have been done to reveal the citizens attitude to source separation. The city has communicated its
message on source separation and waste through – to name a few examples – campaigns, stands at
malls and by knocking on doors. The city also educates 4 graders about the waste management system.
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Results

Since the city of Oslo started source separating food waste and plastic packaging in 2012, rates of
material recovery of the household waste have increased significantly. In 2017, 38 per cent of the
household went to material recycling, only 3 per cent ended in landfills, and up to 2 per cent was re-
used.

Waste analysis carried out in 2018 shows that the collection rate for food waste was 45 per cent, or
41 kg food waste per person. Around 20 000 tons of garden and park waste was collected through
the recycling stations in 2017. The city produced around 27 000 tons of compost and soil products.

Case study: Reducing food waste, June 2020 9