Composting, AD-Biogas & Organic waste recycling specialists


Welcome to ROOTS

ROOTS Organics Ltd is an independent consultancy providing technical support and advice on the recycling of organics to produce a safe, quality product.

Angela Cronjé PhD MEng and Sarah Manwaring BA (hons) set up  ROOTS in 2015. With 15 years experience in organic waste processing on operational plants, we provide practical advice to the industry sectors, including investors, waste recycling services, operators of composting and anaerobic digestion plants, farmers and end users of compost and digestate.

We work closely with the client to formulate bespoke technical support packages for, for example, site permitting and approvals, process design and commissioning, on-going monitoring for regulatory compliance, Health and Safety, and End of Waste certification for compost and digestate.


ROOTS Consultancy Services

Planning and Environmental Permitting

New applications for, and variations to a site's planning consent and environmental permit, including for IED installations permit surrenders.

Monitoring and independent auditing to check continued compliance with planning and permit conditions.

Site Layout and Process Design

Design proposal and review to ensure the site layout and material flows meet regulatory requirements for the treatment of organic waste and animal by-products (ABP), and the end-product market specifications.

Mass and energy balances, including sensitivity analyses, for business and process models.   

Environmental Management Systems

Management plans and documentation as required by the site's environmental permit. Plans tailored to integrate with the client's business management system.

Animal & Plant Health Agency approval and compliance

Validation of IVC and AD processes to treat ABP material, followed by routine monitoring and audit checks to ensure on-going compliance with the ABP regulations.

Health and Safety

Practical and effective H&S systems to resolve real problems and improve the safety, health and well-being of site personnel at all levels, by the following key principles: 

  • Assessing risks
  • Controlling risks
  • Understanding responsibilities
  • Understanding hazards
  • Investigating incidents
  • Measuring performance
Benefits to the business go beyond health and safety with improved site practices and operator awareness to good practice and safe working conditions.

Process Commissioning and Optimisation

On-site work with site operators for plant start-up - from priming to performance tests, and on-going process performance monitoring. 

Waste inputs / Feedstock assessments, and review of operational procedures and parameters to optimise process outputs.   

Gap analysis for under performing processes

End of Waste Certification and Quality Management Systems

Applications to the Compost Certification Scheme (CCS) to certify the producer's compost to BSI PAS100 and the Compost Quality Protocol.

Applications to the Biofertiliser Certification Scheme (BCS) to certify the producer's digestate to BSI PAS110 and the AD Quality Protocol (or ASRS in Scotland)

QMS plan and documentation for the production of a quality product that is fit-for-purpose for its intended end market.

On-going verification of the operating procedures and quality compost or digestate to show conformance to the respective scheme rules and quality policies.

Technical Training

On-site training, inductions and starter packs, and training programs for plant operators.

Operator and support staff face-fitting for face masks / respiratory protection.

Sampling and Laboratory testing

Sampling of substrates for on-site and external lab testing as part of process performance monitoring and routine monitoring for regulatory compliance.

Including sampling procedures and schedules to ensure representative samples are collected for meaningful results, data analysis and database development.

Policy & Regulations 

Operational procedures and process review to ensure continued compliance with new and amended EU and National Environmental laws and the ABP regulations.

Research & Development projects

Working in collaboration with industry and/or academic partners on, for example, proposals for project funding, literature reviews, equipment design for test rigs / pilot plants, trial co-ordination and monitoring, and project reports.


Current work and recent projects

Environmental Permitting

Agri-AD Gas to Grid (biomethane): EA Installation permit application with supporting documentation.

Organic fines processing system for CLO: EA Installation permit application and novel waste approval using the Jacobs Framework.

Mobile plant for land spreading: EA permit applications.

Waste Deployments: for digestate and compost use in agriculture, and CLO in land restoration, including soil sampling.

Permit variations, surrenders and transfers.

Animal By-Products

Validation of alternative transformation parameters: APHA approval of alternative composting standards for the treatment of ABP. 

New IVC system and process design: APHA approval for processing ABP.

Processing Method 7 (novel process): APHA application for approval to process (Render) ABP, including Pathogen Risk Assessment  

Environmental Management Systems

Agri-AD Gas to Grid (biomethane): EMS and Accident management plan.

IVC and windrow composting sites: EMS and site management plans.

Organic fines processing system for CLO: EMS and site management plans.

Fire prevention plan for IVC and windrow composting sites.

ISO 14001 Accreditation.

Quality Management Systems

Compost Certification Scheme: renewal of BSI PAS100 and the Compost Quality Protocol / SEPA position statement certification.

Biofertiliser Certification Scheme: renewal of BSI PAS110 and ASRS certification.

ISO 9001 Accreditation and Digestate management plan.

Process monitoring and optimisation

Mass and energy balances: AD/Biogas plant projects at design review.  

AD process commissioning: biological support for digester commissioning, including process performance monitoring.

 AD process optimisation: Waste inputs assessments, feedstock characterisation and processing conditions to maximise biogas yields whilst maintaining biological stability.

IVC process commissioning: for the production of PAS100 quality compost.

Technical support to AD and IVC operations: On-site and remote process monitoring and data recording for verification of conformance to regulatory requirements.


ROOTS Training & Presentations

ROOTS delivers the Plant Optimisation Training  as part of ADBA's programme of Learning, Development and Training, which offers three workshops aimed at advancing knowledge and understanding of the AD process and how to get the most out of an AD plant and process. 

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ROOTS works in collaboration with Elleteq Ltd to bring bespoke on-site Plant Operator Training days cropped-Elleteq-logopng

ROOTS presented Getting the Nutritional and Biological Health Right and The Importance of Process Data Monitoring at the UK AD & World Biogas Expo 2019

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ROOTS presented  A guide to permits and certificates at the ADBA Learning & Development workshop: How to cash in on your digestates - April 2019


Contact ROOTS

For initial and general enquiries, please complete the enquiry form below.  Otherwise, please find our contact details at the bottom of the page.  You can also follow ROOTS on LinkedIn and Facebook.