The amount of food waste thrown away in the UK is truly staggering, according to WRAP (the Waste & Resources Action Programme) in this country we discard more than 7.2 million tonnes of food and drink every year, with the same amount again being generated by the food processing industry. It is now common place for most organisations to have recycling options in their workplaces; encouraging staff to use different bins for paper and cardboard recycling, it recycling, plastic & glass etc., food waste on the other hand is placed in the general waste bin destined for the landfill.
As businesses become more recycling savvy, recycling old computers and having their own strict WEEE disposal policies, many are now looking to recycle close to 100% of their total waste. The food waste recycling service that we provide here at Collect and Recycle (https://collectandrecycle.com/) can be the next step in getting your business to that final eco-friendly goal.
The process we use to recycle food waste into green energy and compost is called Anaerobic Digestion, in this process bacteria and microbes transform the food into eco-friendly fuels such as methane gas or ethanol. Any of the left-over matter can be treated further then used as compost or agricultural manure, effectively recycling 100% of the food waste we receive.
As of early 2014 Scotland will be the first part of the UK to introduce new legislation which requires businesses to recycle their food waste, with the rest of the country expected to soon follow suit. The plan will be phased in slowly over 7 years, to start with only food businesess will have to comply, if they produce more than 50kg of food waste a week they will need a separate food waste recycling stream. 7 years later in Jan 2021 all biodegradable municipal waste will be banned from going to the landfill. With these new legislations on the way it would be wise for businesses to start considering these measures now rather than later.
By making this change your business could cut some crucial costs. Recycling food waste is on average £45 cheaper per tonne than taking it to the landfill. You will also undoubtedly be helping the environment by recycling in this way. When left to break down in a landfill, food waste produces horrible smells, toxic liquids and gasses such as methane and CO2 which are both potent greenhouse gasses. There is also the benefit of having messy food waste in its own separate bin, leaving the remaining waste dryer and easier to recycle – we can provide you with these food-specific bins when you use our service.
For our clients who already use the WEEE disposal, scrap metal recycling and other waste disposal services available at Collect and Recycle (https://collectandrecycle.com/) and those yet to benefit from our expertise, if you want to boost your green credentials there has never been a better time to start converting food waste into energy.
