Thousands of UK businesses could be falling foul of tough new food waste legislation, despite the opportunity to turn their waste into renewable energy through anaerobic digestion (AD).
The laws, introduced earlier this year as part of the government’s drive to cut carbon emissions and reach net zero, ban the landfilling of commercial food waste.
Instead, companies must separate their food waste and arrange for it to be collected and recycled by a reputable provider — or risk prosecution. Disposing of food waste in general rubbish, or via macerators or liquid digestors, is now illegal.
Laura Moffatt, head of supply chain at ReFood — which operates three of the UK’s largest AD plants — warned that a lack of awareness and the rise of unlicensed waste carriers mean many firms are failing to comply, and missing the chance to contribute to biogas production.
“Since opening our first AD facility in Doncaster in 2011, we’ve shown how food waste can be transformed into renewable energy and sustainable biofertiliser,” she said. “Each year, our sites in Doncaster, Dagenham and Widnes recycle 480,000 tonnes of food waste into green electricity and heat.
“But despite the clear benefits of AD, and new laws designed to accelerate its adoption, we still speak to businesses every week who are putting themselves at risk — many without realising it.”
Under the legislation, all companies with 10 or more employees producing more than 5kg of food waste per week must segregate and recycle it.
Moffatt identified two major challenges: poor understanding of the rules and an increase in unscrupulous carriers offering cut-price — but often illegal — services.
“The first problem is simply education. Many busy business owners haven’t had the time to get to grips with the law. Communication from government, industry and the supply chain is key,” she said.
“The second is more serious. We’ve seen an influx of unlicensed operators offering to ‘recycle’ waste cheaply, but often disposing of it unlawfully. Businesses must do their due diligence — if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.”
She urged firms to see food waste recycling not as a burden, but as an opportunity to support renewable energy generation through AD and biogas production.
“At ReFood, we manage every stage of the process ourselves — from collection bins and our own lorries, to recycling at our own facilities — with nothing outsourced,” Ms Moffatt added. “Our ‘bin swap’ service also ensures kitchen hygiene by replacing full bins with clean, sanitised ones.”
“Staying compliant can seem complex, but working with a proven, licensed supplier removes the risk and ensures your waste is converted into something positive — green energy and biofertiliser.”
UK businesses urged to embrace biogas as thousands risk breaching food waste laws
