Wastes

It is estimated that the UK produces 16-19 million tonnes of food waste per year that, if sent to landfill, will emit methane, a powerful greenhouse gas.  There are several options for diverting this wet organic waste from landfill: home composting; large-scale composting, either in-vessel or windrow; thermophilic aerobic digestion; and AD.

AD is the only one of the four options that produces renewable energy as well as recovering the nutrients in the waste in the form of digestate.  AD costs will fall as the industry expands and new incentives are introduced.  Combined with the escalating cost of landfill, this could make AD of wastes more attractive.

Where's the Organic Waste? 

WRAP are an organisation that helps individuals, businesses and local authorities to reduce waste and make better use of resources. They have several reports and case studies on the use of waste including;

• Annual Organics Recycling Survey, providing information on the structure of the UK organics processing/recycling sector and the markets for its outputs.
• Food Waste Collection Guidance, provides guidance for Local Authorities on the collection of food waste for recycling.
• Separate food waste collection trials in a diverse range of local authorities.
• A case study on using commercial food waste in AD after a succesful partnership between recycling and waste management company Cawleys and BiogenGreenfinch.

Which Wastes Can Be Used?
A list of biowaste types suitable for AD can be found in Appendix B of the Quality Protocol for Anaerobic Digestate.  Note that bioplastics must comply with the quality standard BS EN 13432 or either of the similar standards DIN V 54900 or ASTM D6400.  ‘Home compostable’ plastics and packaging shall be permitted only if they conform to a standard that is accepted by the Environment Agency.

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