Novamont/IFAT: Bags Made of MATER-BI Are the Answer For Clean and Efficient Bio-waste Recycling

MUNICH, May 15, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

An efficient, hygienic and clean organic waste collection is actually possible by using bags made of MATER-BI, Novamont's biodegradable and compostable bioplastic. The bags are perfectly suited for any organic waste collection and processing system currently in use in Europe. This is shown by several European municipalities and Novamont will be presenting these case studies at IFAT, the German Trade Fair for Water, Sewage, Waste and Raw Materials Management, held in Munich from 14 to 18 May 2018 (HALL A5 - BOOTH 323).

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Under the MATER-BI brand, Novamont manufactures and sells a wide range of bioplastics that are biodegradable and compostable in accordance with the European EN 13432 standard, obtained from starches, cellulose, vegetable oils and their combinations through the use of proprietary technologies. They help in diverting organic waste from landfills and create quality compost, a major ally in fighting desertification and soil erosion.

Europe produces 96 million tonnes of organic waste, only 30% of which is properly recycled, while 66 million tonnes are still sent to disposal, at considerable environmental, economic and social costs. In fact, organic waste in landfills can become extremely dangerous, since it produces methane gas and leachate potentially polluting the groundwater and negatively affecting human health and the climate.

The recently revised EU Waste Framework Directive, is mandating the recycling of organic waste in all Member States by the end of 2024. Moreover, it is prescribing that from 2027 only organic waste separated at source will actually be accountable for the recycling targets, and by 2035 a maximum allowance of 10% organic waste sent to landfill will be set. In the next years it will therefore be essential to set up efficient and successful collection models, such as the one Novamont is presenting at IFAT.

Among European cities having adopted organic waste collection with MATER-BI compostable bags there are Milan (IT), Parma (IT), Treviso (IT), Copenhagen, Roskilde (DK), Geneva (CH), Kristiansand (Nor), Luleå (SW), the Sarrià district of Barcelona (ES), the Paris pilot project (FR), Grenoble (FR), Cardiff (UK), Manchester (UK) and several London districts, with a total of around 5,350,000 inhabitants involved and around 312,000 tonnes of wet waste collected.

Christian Garaffa, Marketing Manager for Source Separation and Recycling of Novamont, will be presenting the company and the Italian organic waste collection model during the workshop "Piedmont best practices in the cleantech sector" organized by the Piedmont Agency on May 16th 2018, from 16.00 to 18.00, in Hall B4, Room B42.

IFAT MUNICH - NOVAMONT: HALL A5 - BOOTH 323

The Novamont Group is world leader in the development and production of bioplastics and biochemicals through the integration of chemistry, the environment and agriculture. With 600 employees, the Group posted sales of €170 million in 2016 and made continuous investments in research and development activities (20% of staff) and has a portfolio of around 1,000 patents. The group has its headquarters in Novara, a production facility in Terni and research laboratories in Novara, Terni and Piana di Monte Verna (CE). Novamont has subsidiaries based in Porto Torres (SS), Bottrighe (RO), and Patrica (FR). Active in Germany, France and the United States through commercial offices and a representative office in Brussels (Belgium), Novamont operates through own distributors in Benelux, Scandinavia, Denmark, the United Kingdom, China, Japan, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Novamont Press Office

Francesca De Sanctis - francesca.desanctis@novamont.com - tel.: +39-0321-699-611 - cell.: +39-340-1166-426