Businesses in Bournemouth will soon be able to recycle their food waste with the launch of a new food waste collection service from Bournemouth Borough Council.
Many local businesses already use the council’s refuse and recycling collection services, but they may be able to reduce costs further by adopting food waste recycling as part of their daily activities.
The council’s fleet of collection vehicles has already collected more than 600 tonnes of food waste from households following the launch of the new service to residents in March this year.
Sixty-five businesses pre-registered an interest in adopting food waste recycling, and they are the first to be offered the service from 1 July, with of the council offering three months free ‘to say thank you’ to them for getting involved.
Reg Hutton, Head of Operations Street Services, commented: “Bournemouth now has a fantastic fleet of collection vehicles and it makes sense for crews to collect all forms of waste from businesses as well as from householders. However it’s a lot cheaper to process waste that is being recycled, as those businesses that use our existing recycling services already know, so reducing their general waste by separating out the food makes good business sense for those who are serious about saving their business money.”
Food waste to power
Food collected from businesses and households in the borough is sent to Eco Sustainable Solutions in Dorset where it is treated using anaerobic digestion (AD). The AD process breaks the food waste down using micro-organisms, in a controlled environment, without oxygen present. The gases given off during the process can be used to produce electricity, and at the end of the process a high-quality liquid fertiliser is left ready for use as soil improver.
Speaking as an accountant, Councillor Michael Filer, Cabinet Member responsible for Waste Disposal, urged all Bournemouth-based businesses to take advantage of this new service: “Recycling food waste can help improve your balance sheet and at the same time to provide more electric power into the National Grid.”
The food waste already collected from households has created gas sufficient to generate over 185 megawatt hours (MWh) of electricity – enough to power around 45 homes over the same period.
Read more about Bournemouth’s commercial recycling.
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How will the government and DMOs address the challenges of including glass in DRS while ensuring a level playing field across the UK?
There's no easy solution to include glass in the DRS while maintaining a level playing field. Potential approaches include a phased introduction of glass, potentially with higher deposits to reflect its logistical challenges. The government and DMOs could incentivise innovation in glass packaging design and subsidise dedicated return points for glass-handling. Exemptions for smaller businesses unable to handle glass might also be necessary. Any successful solution will likely blend several approaches. It must address the differing priorities of devolved administrations, balance environmental benefits with logistical and cost implications, and be supported by robust consumer education campaigns emphasizing the importance of glass recycling.