Food waste gets energetic boost

The Food Recycling Round collects food waste from restaurants and delivers it to an Anaerobic Digestion (AD) plant where it is converted into renewable energy and fertiliser. The service can help restaurateurs to save money on costly landfill and incinerator costs, improve their carbon footprint, and demonstrate their green credentials to customers. The process produces only two by-products, a biogas which is converted into electricity for the national grid and a liquid residue which can be used to fertilise the land, allowing food waste to be disposed of in an environmentally sustainable way. Dr Richard Swannell, Director of Retail and Organics at WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme), commented on the need for restaurants to recycle food waste: "Minimising and recycling food waste is an increasing priority in the UK. Collecting food waste separately from restaurants and reprocessing through anaerobic digestions is a good way of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and produces a valuable fertiliser for farmers" Cawleys Food Recycling Round provides a flexible collection service to suit restaurants of all sizes. The company's distinctive food recycling vehicle, affectionately named CHLOE (Cawleys Helping Life on Earth), collects the food waste from the customer and delivers it to the AD plant, owned by BIOGEN (UK) Ltd, the Eco-Technology sector of the Bedfordia Group, with which Cawleys has sole tipping rights. The service requires minimal input from restaurant staff using a straightforward bin system where food is kept separate from other waste products such as card, glass or oil. Regular collections combined with the collection of other types of waste means that the service provides efficiencies in time and money for restaurateurs, while making a positive contribution to the environment. Early adopters of this new service include Raymond Blanc's Brasserie Blanc in Milton Keynes and John Torode's Smiths of Smithfield in London. Joe Nixon, restaurant manager of Smiths of Smithfield, is passionate about the need for restaurateurs to recognize their environmental responsibilities: "The restaurant industry is often viewed as an all-consuming industry, at Smiths of Smithfield we want to move away from this image and make sure that all aspects of the business look and feel good, including the waste disposal methods. By using Cawleys service we're pleased to be at the forefront of change." Cawleys will be on stand C09 at the Restaurant Show 2008, 6-8 October at Earls Court. Alternatively the Food Waste Management Team can be contacted on 0845 260 2000 or visit www.cawleys.co.uk