Compositional analysis of food waste entering the source segregation stream in four European regions and Implications for valorisation via anaerobic digestion.

Separate collection of food waste from households is an efficient instrument for diversion of organic material from landfill to biological treatment. There is widespread consensus that source-segregated food waste is a suitable substrate for valorisation through anaerobic digestion with biogas production. Source-segregation concepts are adopted by more and more municipalities in European countries and elsewhere. Food waste can be collected in separate food waste collection units or together with other organic materials. Based on a campaign of sorting seperatly collected materials in four European countries, along with physico-chemical analyses, the present manuscript is aimed at providing an overview of differences and similarities in food wastes enterenting the respective source segregation stream. Factors related to suitability of materials for anaerobic digestion are discussed.