The UK’s trade body for anaerobic digestion (AD) has highlighted the need for universal food waste collections in England to reduce food waste levels and allow inedible food waste to be recycled into renewable energy and natural fertiliser.
Responding to the government’s consultation on recycling consistency in England, the Anaerobic Digestion & Bioresources Association (ADBA) reiterated that AD is the best treatment option for food waste that cannot be prevented or redistributed to people or animals, a position supported by the government in its recent Resources & Waste Strategy (RWS) and by WRAP.
Also they called for weekly food waste collections for all households and businesses in England to maximise the amount of inedible food waste recycled through AD into renewable biogas (which can be used for heat, power, and clean transport fuel) and digestate (a nutrient-rich natural fertiliser).
The proposals in the RWS are a huge step forward for recycling in England, but only the introduction of separate food waste collections for all households and businesses will ensure that as much inedible food waste as possible is captured for recycling through AD and diverted from incineration and landfill. It’s also widely acknowledged that food waste collections reduce the amount of edible food thrown away by making this more visible – given the resources involved in producing food, this is the biggest benefit of separately collecting food waste.