Feedback on the Roadmap on the new Circular Economy Action Plan
The European Compost Network (ECN) welcomes the initiative of the European Commission to adopt a new Circular Economy Action Plan with the objective to boost the circular economy model in the EU and abroad.
ECN welcomes the planning of new measures to establish a functioning and competitive integrated market for secondary raw materials and recommends that circularity of biological loops is fully addressed by
- Providing legal certainty to downstream operators;
- Enforcing the development of high-quality separate collection schemes of biowaste and other recyclables;
- Promoting the use of organic soil improving products over mineral fertilizers.
ECN strongly advocates in favour of closing organic cycles for biological materials. There is the need to develop a comprehensive strategy to build up organic matter in soils (See ECN’s manifesto and follow ECN’s S.O.S. Soil initiative ‘Save organics in Soil’). Compost and digestate have optimal fertilizing and soil improving properties. They are organic fertilising products which supply nutrients to the plants and build up soil organic matter in soils, once applied regularly. Organic matter will help maintaining and restoring soil quality, structure and its much-needed water retention capacity. This means that soils will not dry out quickly in summer months, when water is scarce but also that the likelihood of flooding in winter is reduced.
ECN’s feedback on the Roadmap on the New Circular Economy Action Plan can be accessed here.