It is not uncommon on private compost heaps to find materials or waste that do not really belong there. Those people who place their trust instead in professionally produced products labelled with the RAL Quality Mark for Compost can rely on the fact that these products exclusively contain ap-proved raw materials from suitable organic, garden and parkland waste that was sourced via sepa-rate waste collections. These products contain a high proportion of stable, permanent humus and thus improve the physical properties of the soil.

For recycled products produced in the circular economy, independent and regular quality controls are particularly important. The RAL quality assurance system ensures a high standard of quality that has been defined and agreed with scientific institutions, specialist authorities and consumers. The companies who make up the Quality Assurance Association are regularly monitored to check their production facilities and production steps and are also inspected by independent institutions. They guarantee that the products are safe to use by declaring that they have been professionally pro-duced in accordance with the applicable laws for fertilisers and have been tested to prove that they are hygienic and harmless to people, animals and plants when used properly.