A huge congratulations is in order for our client Biogen, a renowned anaerobic digestion specialist and clearly a firm of forward thinkers.
AD & Bioresources News quite rightly shone the spotlight on this progressive UK business this month, when highlighting the lengths Biogen had gone to, to address the notorious problem of festive food waste.
Participants in our December poll didn’t fear leftover food would be the biggest waste and recycling problem at Christmas, but Biogen acknowledged many months ago the typical 30% rise in food waste volumes over the December holidays. They therefore adopted a proactive approach, contacting customers back in autumn to plan for the waste handling uplift.
This careful planning reportedly meant Biogen could turn a whopping 15,000 tonnes of festive food into renewable energy. When you consider this mass of ‘waste’ is the equivalent to 45 Boeing 747s, this is no mean feat!
It just goes to show what some clever thinking and meticulous planning can achieve.
Commenting on the news, UNTHA UK’s chairman Chris Oldfield said: “Food waste isn’t a topic we often comment upon, because it’s just one of many material streams we can shred. However, it remains an important subject – not just at Christmas but all year round.
“News that the House of Commons is now sending its excess canteen waste to an anaerobic digester could mean AD comes into sharper government focus in the near future. This surely cannot be a bad thing. We read, for example, that if all of England’s inedible food waste was diverted from landfill and incineration, in favour of anaerobic digestion treatment, this would generate enough green gas to power 750,000 homes.
“In January, UNTHA research also revealed that 23% of survey participants would like to see greater food waste handling progress in 2016. This might therefore be a continually hot topic throughout the year.”
Looking for a food waste shredder? Click here to learn more about the four shaft shredding technology used by Biogen. Alternatively you can call 0845 450 5388 or email sales@untha.co.uk for more information.