A recycling site in Cambridgeshire is equipping councils for mandatory food waste collections and highlighting the benefits of food waste recycling.

BiotechCH4's 'Local Generation' site recently hosted authority officers, offering them a first-hand glimpse into its innovative approach to transforming food waste into useful energy.

The site has a yearly processing capacity of approximately 134,000 tonnes of food waste.

The process, known as Anaerobic Digestion (AD), generates 68 GWh of power, enough to power 23,448 homes, and bio-fertiliser, a nutrient-rich material used for enriching farmland.

The generated power feeds back into the national grid.

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The visit's purpose was to encourage readiness among councils for the upcoming 'Simpler Recycling' scheme, demanding kerbside food waste collections by March 2026.

This step is particularly pertinent considering the annual food waste totals of more than 10 million tonnes, 60pc of which originates from homes nationwide.

This food waste produces carbon emissions equal to one-fifth of UK cars.

The visit also aimed to provide insights into AD and its unique environmental and energy advantages.

A collaboration with the Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association (ADBA), it focused on the potential of AD to aid local authorities' efforts since processing food waste could contribute significantly to achieving national net-zero targets.

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Pamela Woolcock, group public sector lead at BioteCH4, said: “Sadly, millions of tonnes of food waste are thrown away each year, but the introduction of separate food waste collections can help to reduce this environmental burden.

"With the statutory deadline for introducing the service only 18 months away, we want to support all councils but especially those who might be finding this new and unknown territory daunting.

"We were delighted to host another group tour providing an opportunity to see first-hand the benefits that AD can bring them as an organisation and our society.”