Compost Soil
In spring 2022, the compost soil is handed out at the following dates and times:
- 17.05.2022 9.00 – 15.00
- 24.05.2022 9.00 – 15.00
- 31.05.2022 9.00 – 15.00
- 02.06.2022 9.00 – 15.00
- 07.06.2022 9.00 – 15.00
- 09.06.2022 9.00 – 15.00
- 14.06.2022 9.00 – 15.00
Additional information about compost soil
Compost soil is only handed out to natural or legal persons holding a required waste permit or a proper registration certificate from the Environmental Board.
According to the Waste Act, the compost soil produced from sewage sludge is regarded as a waste (list of waste code 19 08 05). This imposes additional obligations on the user of compost soil produced from sewage sludge. The first prerequisite is holding of a waste permit or a corresponding registration from the Environmental Board, allowing the recovery of sludge from the treatment of urban wastewater (with the waste code 19 08 05). The information necessary for the application for the waste handler’s registration (together with a tutorial video on the submission of an application to this effect) can be found on the website of the Environmental Board at Jäätmekäitleja registreering | Keskkonnaamet
In addition, the user of sewage sludge must comply with the requirements and obligations laid down in the Minister of the Environment Regulation No 29 “Quality Limits and Requirements for the Use of Sewage Sludge for Landscaping, Rehabilitation and Agriculture”.
Persons who have been granted a waste handler’s registration are required to report on their waste activities to the Environmental Board once a year, using the information system KOTKAS.
Once the waste handler’s registration has been issued, please e-mail a copy of it to tvesi@tvesi.ee at least 3 working days before coming to pick up the soil and, if possible, inform of the time (date and estimated time) of the pick-up. To start the hand-out of soil operations, please come to the main door of the administrative building of the Wastewater Treatment Plant (Paljassaare põik 14) and call 62 62 475. Our staff then will arrange for the registration of the hand-out of soil and issue a corresponding card for soil weighing operations. Please follow the instructions given by our staff.
COMMENTS
All quantities of soil to be handed out must be weighed. AS Tallinna Vesi’s truck scales allow weighing trucks with up to 40 tons of total laden weight and those up to 12 meters long. The minimum quantity that can be handed out is 0.5 tonnes. Please note that possibilities of loading the soil on a car trailer are limited (the trailer cover must be completely removed).
Transportation of compost soil can also be ordered from our subsidiary OÜ Watercom, by calling 62 62 620 or e-mailing to watercom@watercom.eu. The price for the transportation of 1 load of soil (10 tonnes) with a tipper in Tallinn is EUR 65 plus VAT. Outside Tallinn, distance-based charges are applied for driving back and forth (EUR 1.00 plus VAT). For larger quantities, the price for the transportation of the load shall be agreed separately.
Once the information on registration granted by the Environmental Board has been sent and you wish to order the transportation, please contact OÜ Watercom at the phone number or e-mail address above to agree on the pick-up time, taking into account the handout times indicated above.
How is the compost soil made from sewage sludge?
During the wastewater treatment process at the Paljassaare Wastewater Treatment Plant, sludge is removed from the wastewater. For sludge processing, i.e. stabilisation, sludge is pumped into digesters, using heat exchangers. In the digesters, the sludge is anaerobically fermented for approximately 15 days at ~37.0 °C. Then, by using centripresses, the digested sludge is dewatered up to 25% dry matter content. Dewatered sludge is collected in the storage tanks and transported with trucks to the composting fields.
In the composting fields, the stabilised sludge is mixed with a milled peat (in a volume ratio of ca 1:0.7), which then undergoes further aerobic digestion in simple windrows (composting in piles) for 6 to 12 months. During this time, the windrows are mixed for 4 to 6 times with a special windrow turner. The final product is a so-called compost soil with a specific weight of ca 800 kg/m ³ (specific weight depends much on natural conditions).
– When applying compost soil, dig it through the old soil immediately;
– When constructing the lawn, add coarse sand to aerate the soil;
– Weeds also grow with the lawn, it disappears when the lawn is mowed regularly.
Results of the analysis taken of the compost soil can be found here.