The UK currently generates around 19 million tonnes of food waste per year. Much of this food waste is sent to landfill sites where it is slowly broken down into methane and carbon dioxide, potent greenhouse gases.
Chemring Energetics UK (CEUK) in Ardeer, Scotland, complies with all local waste regulations but goes one step further. They segregate food waste generated in the kitchens and canteens throughout the site, so that it can be converted in a sustainable way through Anaerobic Digestion (AD).
In 2020, food waste segregated from the general collection at the Ardeer facility totalled 4.79 tonnes, less than 8% of the site’s total waste.
Instead of ending up in landfill, this food waste is processed in a composting facility or AD plant. AD technology converts waste food matter into bio methane. This is then used to generate green energy, which is exported to the National Grid or bottled to be sold. The remaining material (digestate) is rich in nutrients, so it can be used as a soil additive by local agriculture.
Through its food waste segregation process, CEUK is doing its bit to help power the one million houses in the UK that are now fuelled by green energy thanks to AD.