Agrivert promotes biogas-based energy by supporting food waste awareness campaign
UK anaerobic digestion (AD) company Agrivert has supported a group of tiny bananas that took over Oxfordshire-based Blenheim Palace in a bid to raise awareness about how local food waste is being turned into renewable energy and biofertiliser.
Pupils from an Oxfordshire Primary School donned banana costumes and roamed the Palace grounds, learning how UK households produce 7.3 million tonnes of food waste every year, including 240,000 tonnes of banana skins.
Banana power
The recycling campaign Recycle Now explained that it takes 289,400 banana peels, the equivalent to one from every household in Oxfordshire, to produce enough energy to power three local primary schools for a day.
The children learnt how, using our 2 local AD facilities, Agrivert recycles more than 15,000 tonnes of food waste which is produced by Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire residents and local community sites such as schools and hospitals.
They learnt how we harness the gas created by the breakdown of such food and convert it into green electricity to power 8,500 local homes and schools. And how we use the resultant nutrient rich fertiliser on local farmland and Blenheim’s estate to enrich their soils and replace harmful chemical fertilisers when growing more food.
Linda Crichton, from Recycle Now, explained why the bananas took over Oxfordshire’s popular attraction: "Although many people in Oxfordshire are recycling their food waste, there's still more we can do. When we ask people why they don't recycle their food waste, they tell us it's because they don't think they produce enough to bother.
“In fact - we all create a certain amount of food waste which cannot be eaten, no matter how conscientious we are in trying not to waste food. Unavoidable waste, like tea bags, vegetable peelings and of course, banana skins are not edible but can all be recycled. This is why we decided to draw people's attention to these types of waste - to remind everyone, we can all recycle food waste and give it a new lease of life as electricity and heat."
Roger File, COO at Blenheim Palace, said: "We're really passionate about recycling at Blenheim Palace. We work hard to ensure that our Estate has a minimal impact on the environment and hold a Gold Green Tourism certificate showing our commitment to running a sustainable attraction. We were excited to be involved in this fun campaign to educate people about the benefits of recycling."
