ABSTRACT
The treatment of biowaste is typically regulated within a framework of legislation which acts at three main levels: Standard industrial requirements, General waste laws and Specific biowaste issues. The European Union Landfill Directive was a particularly stormy one, and its final adoption by the Council of Ministers, on 26th April 1999, represented the culmination of nearly ten years deliberation over a means to reduce the amount of putrescible material entering landfills. In the United States, by contrast, the treatment of Municipal solid waste (MSW)-derived biowaste is less centrally regulated by the Federal government, which has largely confined itself to setting standards for the more potentially problematic sewage sludge. A number of existing biowaste treatment facilities, and many proposed new schemes, depend on some kind of open sale or other revenue generation to maintain viability. Consequently, before leaving the topic of regulation, a final mention should be made of product standards.
