CONTRA project partner, the University of Southern Denmark has started a trial to test if compost made out of beach wrack can be used to mitigate methane emissions. This is a part of the CONTRA case study in Køge Municipality looking to see if beach wrack compost can be used as a ‘biocover’ on old landfills.

Køge Municipality has an old landfill, which has shown to be emitting methane. Methane is a greenhouse gas, which is 25 times stronger than CO2 and contributes to global warming. A biocover is a technology that can mitigate emissions from old landfills. It consists of a permeable layer of gravel or crushed concrete and a layer of compost which is established on top of the old landfill waste. The compost has bacteria, that convert methane to CO2.

The test will show if compost made from beach wrack has the same ability to mitigate methane as compost made from garden waste.