The Environment Agency and WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) are today reminding compost producers in England and Wales to ensure that their business has been registered with The Composting Association (TCA) for PAS 100 and Quality Protocol certification by 15 November.

PAS 100 is the British Standards Institution's Publicly Available Specification for composted material which sets out the minimum requirements for the process of composting, the selection of materials from which compost is made and even how it is labelled.

This is the next key step in the phased introduction of the Quality Protocol for Compost, which sets out criteria for the production of quality compost from source-segregated biodegradable waste.

Producers who register after this date will not benefit from the interim regulatory position until it is revised in May 2008. This means that producers who do not meet the deadline and users of their compost will face being restricted in their operations. The compost they handle will only be able to be spread to land with an Environment Agency waste exemption or permit, or the material will have to be disposed of at a licensed waste management site.

Martin Brocklehurst, Head of External Programmes for the Environment Agency, said: "The Quality Protocol allows operators to manufacture quality compost free of the ‘waste’ tag. This makes compost a more marketable product and allows it to be spread on land without the need for an Environment Agency waste exemption."

WRAP’s Dr Richard Swannell, Joint Project Executive for the Waste Protocols Project, continued: "The development of the Quality Protocol means that key markets such as landscaping, agriculture and horticulture can be confident that the compost they are buying will be of a high environmental standard, making it easier for businesses to market their compost as a desirable quality product."