Major supermarket Sainsbury’s has announced that it is diverting all store waste from landfill.
Surplus food that can’t be used by its charity partners to feed vulnerable people is now processed into animal feed or used to generate energy via anaerobic digestion via contractor Biffa.
All general waste from stores is either recycled or turned into a fuel for use in energy from waste facilities.
Sainsbury’s chief executive Justin King said: “We’re very proud of hitting our target for zero waste to landfill which we set three years ago. We know times are tough for many customers, but they still rightly expect Sainsbury’s to lead the way on the things that will always matter to all of us including caring for our environment.”
Sainsbury’s is the largest retail user of anaerobic digestion generating enough energy to power 2,500 homes.
Since 2005, Sainsbury’s has been working with Biffa to help it develop sustainable solutions across its UK stores, including in recent years the landfill diversion target.