Chapter published in December 2023 in the book ‘Law in the EU’s Circular Energy System‘, edited by Lucila de Almeida  and Josephine van Zeben. If you do not have institutional access and would like to read this chapter, please reach out to me.

Abstract

Waste and surplus from various stages of the food supply chain can be transformed into biogas and biofuel. Based on the European Union (EU) waste hierarchy, Member States (MSs) should ensure that food waste is reused to produce bioenergy instead of being incinerated or disposed of in landfills. However, before considering energy recovery, more sustainable ways of dealing with this biomass such as redistribution or donation, reprocessing into new food products, and use as animal feed must be prioritised. To enable this, food and energy policies and legal frameworks must be congruent in their outlook towards circularity. In this chapter, we highlight the current state of these policy areas and examine whether they are moving towards improved coordination. Additionally, we reflect on how waste-to-bioenergy is viewed by relevant stakeholders in comparison to other food waste valorisation options. We also posit that increased interconnectedness among food, feed, and bioenergy private standards could help food business operators better valorise their food waste and surplus.

Citation

Rao, M., Bast, A., & de Boer, A. (2023). Food waste to biogas and biofuel: law and policy. In Law in the EU’s Circular Energy System (pp. 49-69). Edward Elgar Publishing.