ANNEX 7-3 - Compost Qualities in Germany and Austria FS Sb

Compost quality in Germany 1 

QUALITY 

CHARACTERISTICS 

WASTE TYPES 

APPLICATION 

HYGIENE 

IMPURITIES 

STONES 

PLANT 

COMPATIBILITY 

DECOMPOSITION 

DEGREE 

FRESH COMPOST 

Separately 

collected 

biowaste and 

green waste 

Farming, landfill 

reclamation. 

QUALITY REQUIREMENTS 

MATURE COMPOST 

Separately 

collected 

biowaste and 

green waste 

Farming, 

landscaping, biofilters, 

hobby 

gardening, landfill 

reclamation 

SUBSTRATE 

COMPOST 

Separately collected 

biowaste and green 

waste 

Mixing component 

at the production of 

culture substrates 

and potting soils 

• proof that can be tested on epidemic-hygienic effectiveness of the 

decomposition process 

• exclusion of Salmonellae 

• germinating 

seeds and 

sprouting plant 

parts must be 

absent 

maximum 0.5 

weight-% in dm, 

selectable, 

speciesinappropriate 

impurities of >2 

mm diameter 

maximum 5 % by 

weight in dm 

selectable stones 

>5 mm diameter 

• germinating 

seeds and 

sprouting plant 

parts must be 

absent 

maximum 0.5 

weight-% in dm, 

selectable, 

speciesinappropriate 

impurities of >2 

mm diameter 

maximum 5 % by 




• plant 

compatibility for 

the provided area 

of application 

• free of phytotoxic 

materials 

• not binding 

nitrogen 

• germinating seeds 

and sprouting plant 

parts < 0.5 plants/l 

compost 

• exclusion of 

Plasmodiophora 

brassicae (in 

vegetable growing) 

• maximum 0.5 

weight-% in dm 

selectable, speciesinappropriate 

material >2 mm 

diameter 

• free of impurities 

>5 mm (‘free’ 

means 10 

mm (‘free’ means 

2 mm 

diameter 

maximum 5 

weight-% in dm 



free of volatile 

phyto-toxic 

materials 

1 Bundesgiitegemeinschaft Kompost (BGK e V) Kompost Gütesicherung RAL-GZ 251 (Compost - quality 

assurance-RAL-GZ 251)

QUALITY 


WATER CONTENT 

GRAIN SIZE 

ORGANIC MATTER 

FINE PORTION 

FRESH COMPOST 

• maximum 45% 

by weight (just 

loose material) 

• higher contents 

of water are 

admissible for 

composts with 

more than 40% 

om according to 

Annex 3 of the 

RAL Quality and 

Test Regulations 

at least 30 % by 

weight in dm, 

measured as 

volatile solids 


MATURE COMPOST 

• bulky material 

maximum 45% by 

weight, 

• bagged material 


weight 

• higher contents 

of water are 


composts with 

more than 40% 

om accord. to 

Annex 3 of the 

RAL-Quality and 

Test Regulations 

SUBSTRATE 

COMPOST 

• bulky material 


weight, 

• bagged material 


weight 

• higher contents of 

water are 


composts with more 

than 40% om 

accord. to annex 3 

of the RAL Quality 

and Test 

Regulations 

• ‘humid’ 

corresponding to 

classification (~50– 

60% of the 

maximum water 

concentration) 

• in all grain sizes 

>50% vol. particle 

0–5 mm 

• maximum grain 

size 0/25 mm 

at least 15% by weight in dm, measured 

as volatile solids 

HEAVY METALS Guide values 1 (mg/kg dm) 

LEAD 150 

CHROMIUM 100 

NICKEL 50 

ZINC 400 

CADMIUM 1.5 

COPPER 100 

MERCURY 1.0 

SALT CONTENT TYPE 1 TYPE 2 

• SALT CONTENT 

max. 2.5 max. 5 

g/l g/l 

• MINIMUM NITROGEN 

(SUM NO 3 /NH 4 -N) 

Compost quality in Austria 2 

QUALITY 


WASTE TYPES 

APPLICATION 

HYGIENE 

IMPURITIES 

DECOMPOSITION 

DEGREE 

WATER CONTENT 

GRAIN SIZE 

EU ECO-LABEL 3 

SOIL IMPROVERS 

Organic waste 

• Salmonella: 

absent in 25 g 

• Helminth ova: 

absent in 1.5 g 

• E. coli: < 1 000 

MPN/g (MPN: 

most probable 

number) 

• In the final 

product, the 

content of weed 

seeds and the 

vegetative 

reproductive parts 

of aggressive 

weeds shall not 

exceed two units 

per litre. 

Max 0.5% by 

weight of manmade 

foreign 

matter for > 2 mm 

fraction 

Minimum 25% dry 

matter 


AUSTRIA CLASS A+ AUSTRIA CLASS A AUSTRIA CLASS B 

Separately collected 

biowaste and green 

waste 

Ecologic farming 

• Salmonella: 


• E. coli: absent in 

50 g 

• horticulture/ hobby 

gardening/sacked 

compost: max. 3 

plants/litre 

(germination test) 

Separately 

collected biowaste 

and green waste 

Farming, 

landscaping, biofilters, 

hobby 

gardening, landfill 

reclamation 

•Salmonella: 


•E. coli: absent in 

50 g 

• horticulture/ 

hobby 



plants/litre 


Mixed waste 

Application requires 

special permit; 

Landfill reclamation 

•Salmonella: 


• E. coli: absent in 

50 g 

•horticulture/ hobby 



plants/litre 


Impurities >2mm: 

• Agric.: max. 0.5% by weight; Non food: max. 1.0% by weight 

Plastic > 2mm: 

• Agric.: max. 0.2% by weight; Non food: max. 0.4% by weight 

Metal/Glass: Agric.: max. 0.2% by weight, each 

Cress test requires a minimum performance of Lepidiu sativum 

grown over a period of about 9 days. Parameters measured are 

biomass, germination rate and delay of germination. 

< 40 mm 

Minimum 20% by weight in dm 

ORGANIC MATTER 

Minimum 20% by 


The concentration 

of nitrogen in the 

product shall not 

exceed 3 % total 

N-CONTENT N (by weight) and 

inorganic N must 

not exceed 20 % 

total N (or organic 

N ≥ 80 %). 

HEAVY METALS mg/kg dm 

LEAD 100 45 120 200 

CHROMIUM 100 70 70 250 

NICKEL 50 25 60 100 

2 Kompostgüteverband Österreich (KGVÖ) (Compost quality association Austria) and Verordnung über 

Qualitätsanforderungen an Komposte aus Abfällen, BGBl. II Nr. 292/2001 (Austrian Compost Ordinance 2001) 

3 Commission Decision 2006/799/EC

QUALITY 


EU ECO-LABEL 3 

SOIL IMPROVERS 


AUSTRIA CLASS A+ AUSTRIA CLASS A AUSTRIA CLASS B 

ZINC 300 200 500 1800 

CADMIUM 1 0.7 1 3 

COPPER 100 70 150 500 

MERCURY 1 0.4 0.7 3 

AOX 500 

MINERALOIL- HC 3 000 

PCHC 6 

PCB 1 

DIOXIN 

50 ng TE/kg dm 

dm = dry matter, fm= fresh matter, om = organic matter

ANNEX 7-3 - Compost Qualities in Germany and Austria FS Sb

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