Fact
Anaerobic digestion is the optimum method of dealing with food waste.
Environmentally endorsed
Our technology director, Michael Chesshire, is a director of the Renewable Energy Association. He was a member of the Anaerobic Digestion Task Group formed to produce an Implementation Plan setting out practical measures to remove barriers to the greater uptake of anaerobic digestion. Its publication in 2009 coincided with the release of the government’s new Renewable Energy Strategy.
The Government announced its response to the above work in the form of a subsidy available to micro generators of renewable energy known as The Feed In Tariff (FIT) programme. FIT’s were published in Feb 2010, and implemented in April 2010.
Anaerobic digestion is already attracting increasing attention from local authorities seeking to set up food waste collection schemes. A report for WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) by independent consultants, Eunomia, found that anaerobic digestion is the optimum method of dealing with food waste.†
Many retailers, food manufacturing companies and farmers also see anaerobic digestion as the solution to their waste problems and a demonstration of corporate social responsibility – and as a way of genuinely boosting their brand credentials.
Anaerobic digestion is supported by environmental campaign groups, including Friends of the Earth (FoE). An FoE briefing states that ‘anaerobic digestion provides an important opportunity to generate 100% renewable energy from biodegradable waste’.‡
Our commitment
We take an active part in promoting anaerobic digestion in the UK. We are a member of the Renewable Energy Association (REA) – the voice of the renewables industry in the UK.
Our experts worked with REA and WRAP to develop a national specification, BSI PAS 110, for the processing and production of anaerobic digestate. We also support global initiatives such as Methane to Markets.
† Managing biowastes from households in the UK: Applying life-cycle thinking in the framework of cost-benefit analysis. A final report for WRAP, May 2007, produced by Eunomia Research & Consulting Ltd, Bristol.
Better than landfill
Food waste is a serious problem. Disposing of food waste to landfill has become all but unacceptable – it damages the environment, contributes to climate change and wastes precious resources.
Our anaerobic digesters are filled with food waste from homes, shops, restaurants, hotels, pubs, offices, hospitals, schools and factories. The methane produced as the waste breaks down in our digesters is fed into super-efficient gas engines to generate renewable electricity and heat – all that is left is a nutrient rich liquid fertiliser which goes back on the land to grow crops. A small portion of the electricity and heat we generate is used to run the AD process itself. Nothing is wasted.
Achieving targets
Treating food waste in an anaerobic digester is the most environmentally sustainable solution and AD is cost-competitive with landfill and other alternatives. It goes a long way to help local authorities achieve their LATS targets and WET, LAS and BMW obligations as well as meeting Best Value Performance standards for recycling.
Our plant at Westwood came on stream in June 2009. It can process 45,000 tonnes of food waste each year, producing 2.1MW of renewable electricity, sufficient for 3,600 homes and 35,000 tonnes of a superior biofertiliser– enough to support 1,750 acres of growing crop.
RESTATS, the renewable energy statistics database (www.restats.org.uk) predicts that AD plants like Westwood will help the UK to reach its target of 15% of electricity from renewable sources by 2020.
