Introduction and organic waste situation

Slovenia produced approximate 6,2 million tons of waste. The share of waste from agriculture, forestry and food industry (as dry mater) amount to 12%. Enterprises in Slovenia collect annually in average 550 000 t (282 kg per inhabitant) of the municipal waste and 290.000 t (149 kg per inhabitant) of the municipal alike waste from industry, trade and service activity what's amount 840.000 t together. 39% of them are biological degradable. The waste collecting system in Slovenia comprehends 93,4 % of the population. The greatest shear of the waste is deposit on the damping places.

In the moment exist there in Slovenia 51 damping places. Until end of 2004 21 damping places are going to close and until 2009 another 13. Within particular areas is the separate collection of the waste paper/pasteboard, glass and other raw material in run. The common amount of the separate collecting waste amounted in the year 2000 228 883 t. The separate collected organic waste that was able to composting from industry amounted 2.838 t. The composting plants in Slovenia produced annually 56.000 m3 or 14.000 t of the compost. The animal waste from slaughterhouses and animal carcass are co-incinerate in power plats and cement factories. Their amount is approximate 70.000 t yearly.

Legal framework for the organic waste stream and compost production

Waste treatment in Slovenia founded on the National Environmental Action Programme, National waste treatment strategy and waste treatment regulation.
Practically all-relevant regulation of the waste treatment accepted Slovenia after 1998. Adopt regulation is in compliance with the EU legislations. In the praxes the fulfilment all of the appointments could not begin to live because being late of the date of introduction (2003-2008), high financial requests and unsuitable education of the employers in the waste treatment companies.

In Slovenia don't exist special regulation for compost production, but only for application for compost and other fertilisers.

Source separation situation

The directive of separate collection provides obligatory implementation of the separate waste collection till end of 2003 in form of ecological island for every 500 inhabitants.

Standards and Quality Assurance systems

Some of the regulations use terms which describe different kind of the compost, but there in Slovenian legislation isn't any clearly explanation, classification or special standard for different kind of the composts.

Expected trends and Developments

The basic approaches in the waste management for the future include:
- Reduction waste generation and its danger potential at a source
- Increasing material and energy utilisation of waste and reduce greenhouse gas emission
- Setting up an effective waste management system
- Gradually elimination of old pollution sources.

The new program provides the formation of regional centrums for management and treatment of waste. In this centrums will be build some new composting plants. Collecting of the material for composting will based on source separation system. The special accentuation well be on home composting.

Contacts and sources of country information

Ivan Gobec
University of Ljubljana
Veterinary faculty
Gerbiceva 60
SI-1115 Ljubljana
Tel.:+ 386 1 4779377
Fax.:+ 386 1 4779279
E-Mail: ivan.gobec@guest.arnes.si

Web: www.vf.uni-lj.si/veterina/e-index.htm