EWC Code
Sludges from washing, cleaning, peeling, centrifuging and separation
EUR-Lex Commission Decision 2000/532/EC — Official Journal L 226, 06/09/2000Annual Volume (EU)
~35 Mt/year EU plant-origin food processing waste
Valorisation Range
Spent grain €25–60/t (feed); olive pomace €80–150/t (fuel/extraction); fruit pomace €20–40/t
Primary Route
Animal feed and biorefinery valorisation
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Get contacts for EWC 02 03 01EWC 02 03 01 is a specific sub-code under EWC 02 03 — Wastes from the preparation and processing of fruits, vegetables, cereals, edible oils, cocoa, coffee, tea and tobacco preparation and processing. The classification guidance below applies to this waste stream.
EWC 02 03 covers process residues from plant-based food manufacturing: brewery spent grain and yeast, grape marc and wine lees, olive mill waste (pomace and vegetation water), fruit pomace from juice pressing, sugar beet pulp, cereal bran, vegetable trimming waste, spent coffee grounds, tobacco processing residues and edible oil refining sludges. These streams are largely organic, biodegradable and non-hazardous, offering high value-recovery potential.
Brewery spent grain (~8 Mt/year EU) is the single largest stream — 85% used as animal feed or exported to compound feed. Olive mill wastewater (vegetation water, ~2.5 Mt/year in Mediterranean countries) contains polyphenols and is an environmental challenge despite high biogas potential. Edible oil refining produces soap stocks and spent bleaching earths; the latter (02 03 04) may carry residual solvents requiring hazardous classification. Fruit pomace is pressed, dried and used as biomass fuel or pectin source.
Valorisation pathways are well-developed: spent grain to biogas or animal feed; coffee grounds to mushroom cultivation substrate, then biogas; grape marc distillation to grappa and marc spirit (controlled by national spirits regulations); olive pomace extraction to crude pomace oil, then solid fuel. The EU Bioeconomy Strategy promotes biorefinery approaches to extract maximum value from multiple fractions before energy recovery as the last resort.
Typical Generators
Established valorisation pathways for EWC 02 03 01, ranked by economic value and market depth.
Spent grain, fruit pomace, sugar beet pulp and similar wet residues sold directly to livestock farmers as feed supplement (requiring feed hygiene compliance under EC 183/2005) or processed in biorefinery to extract proteins, fibres or phenolic compounds.
Wet organic residues unsuitable for feed (olive vegetation water, fruit juice residues) co-digested for biogas. Solid fractions composted for horticultural application. Both routes require permit and compliance with digestate/compost quality standards.
Dried pomace, spent grain pellets and similar biomass fuels combusted in industrial boilers for heat and steam. Requires bioenergy sustainability criteria compliance under RED II where above threshold capacities.
These are the established routes for EWC 02 03 01. Which one your stream qualifies for depends on its composition, volume and region.
Get the ranked options for your streamPrimary & secondary off-takers
Generates and internally manages significant fruit and vegetable residue streams
Grain processing generates bran, germ and screenings for feed and biorefinery
Livestock farms receive spent grain, sugar beet pulp and fruit pomace as feed
Breweries generate spent grain; wineries generate marc and lees; distilleries generate spent wash
Biogas plant operators process residues not suitable for direct feed use
Sectors that valorise EWC 02 03 01 as an input material or secondary raw material.
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