Kitchen waste produced by residents and businesses in the East of England could provide an unlikely boost to the region’s economy by using it to generate electricity.
A study commissioned by the East of England Regional Assembly (EERA) has found that if organic kitchen waste was collected separately and allowed to ferment in a controlled environment, it has the potential to become a viable and marketable energy source for the region while also reducing the amount of waste send to landfill.
Whilst the majority of local authorities in the region collect garden waste, currently only around 5 per cent of kitchen waste is collected for treatment. EERA is therefore suggesting that more councils seriously consider offering food waste collection – ideally separately from green waste to raise collection rates - and sending this to treatment facilities so that the region can reap the benefits.
Cllr Derrick Ashley, Chairman of the Regional Planning Panel, said: “Generating electricity from surplus and spoiled food has been a real missed opportunity up until now. Councils and businesses can reduce their waste disposal costs and provide the impetus for a whole new energy industry to thrive in the East of England, providing jobs and a boost to the economy. The benefits to the environment are great too - energy produced from putting food into anaerobic digestion is carbon neutral and will reduce our CO2 emissions.
“Almost seven million tonnes of household food waste is produced in the UK each year. While this in itself is not an acceptable situation, it is a fact and using this waste to generate electricity in a sustainable way and contributing to the region’s economy at the same time makes absolute sense.”
The study also identified that a quarter million tonnes of organic waste from commercial operations such as supermarkets, florists, restaurants and hotels could be diverted from landfill to composting or anaerobic digestion.
Joe Papineschi from Eunomia, the consultants that conducted the study, said: “Our research has shown that the current system of collecting mixed waste from businesses and large institutions is a waste of valuable resources. There is huge potential for businesses to divert waste from landfill and save money on their waste disposal costs. If the energy derived from this waste from all sectors can be harnessed then we have a clear win-win situation for the economy and the environment.”
While there are plenty of commercial composting facilities in the East of England, only one facility uses anaerobic digestion to generate heat and power. Following the study’s findings, the Assembly is recommending that more treatment facilities are developed as a longer term solution to organic waste management in the region.
Posted: 25/06/2008