£3 million, the amount that could be saved recycling food waste through AD

Recycling food waste through anaerobic digestion could help save a single county millions of pounds a year, it’s been claimed.

If all residents in the county of Surrey, UK, put their food waste in their separate recycling bin instead of the general waste, the county would save more than £3 million.

The council claims that it costs half as much to recycle food waste through anaerobic digestion (AD) as it does throwing it in with the general rubbish which has to go through a costly waste disposal process.

AD uses food waste to generate green electricity which goes into the electricity grid to power homes and produce fertiliser used for farming. To help make the savings that AD affords, Surrey council will be working with residents in autumn 2017 to ensure as much food waste is recycled as possible.

Mike Goodman, Surrey County Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment and Planning, said: “Putting food waste in your caddy for collection is clean and easy when you use plastic bags instead of the old compostable liners which cost more and could easily leak or tear.

“If everybody put their food waste in their caddy Surrey’s councils would have more money to spend on the services residents value most.”

 

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