VTT Technical Research Centre Finland has investigated different possible uses for community waste. At the moment 60 per cent of the community waste ends up in landfill sites. According to research carried out by VTT for instance separately collected organic waste could be utilized as the raw material of ethanol fuel producing biorefinery.

The ground for the investigation lies in EU's attempt to reduce the carbon dioxide emissions, which are caused by waste processing, and to increase the utilization of renewable energy sources. Waste biomass can be considered a socially and environmentally lighter alternative to the traditionally used agricultural waste.

The biorefinery serves a purpose in attempting to replace fossil fuels. According to VTT's investigation separately collected organic waste serves well as raw material for biorefinery. However, due to the small volumes of organic waste, beginning a wide scale production would be complicated with current waste management systems in place.

Although the volumes of mixed waste are much bigger, modern technology cannot utilize it. According to Marjaana Rättö, Special Researcher at VTT, the effective use of mixed waste would require the sorting of the raw material either in connection with the collection on the waste or after its transportation to the waste treatment centers. Process development should also be advanced further.

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