CIWEM believes that the exclusive emphasis on segregating and collecting biodegradable waste from households has been a mistake.
In an update to its Policy Position Statement on Food Waste Disposers, the Institution states that there is a need for a more diverse range of domestic options available for the disposal of food waste, in order to ensure that as many people as possible recycle this valuable waste product and divert it from landfill.
The Government is pushing the nationwide expansion of the capacity of anaerobic digesters, which can turn biodegradable waste into valuable renewable fuel and/or soil improver. CIWEM believes that whilst collecting food waste in caddies as part of a regular recycling collection may be effective in some cases, in others (such as in blocks of flats where storage of the waste before collection is more difficult or in rural areas where recycling trucks have to drive large distances between pickups) a more effective solution would be to utilise food waste disposers.
These units are common in other countries, grinding food to allow it to be washed down the sink to be treated alongside sewage at treatment works, where anaerobic digesters are commonly utilised. By 2015, 85 percent of all sewage sludge in England and Wales will be digested anaerobically, with biogas used to generate electricity, biomethane used for transport fuel or injection into the grid, and biosolids recycling.
This can represent a less carbon-intensive mode of collection than by truck, as well as an easier disposal route for those in high density housing.
CIWEM Executive Director Nick Reeves says: “This is about employing the most effective means of getting as much food and other biodegradable waste to where it can be used to extract more value. Biodegradable waste is a valuable resource and we should be seeking ways to maximise its use. As with many things, one size most definitely does not fit all, yet current waste policy is geared very much to kerbside collection of source segregated biodegradable waste. We believe that in some instances, this is not necessarily the best solution, whereas food waste disposers could provide an opportunity for cost saving to society as a whole.”
Source: The Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM)
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