The days of excess Christmas eating are now behind us, and left with it are piles of excess sprouts, mince pies, roast potates and more.
But at the East London Biogas anaerobic digestion (AD) plant in Dagenham, that food waste is being put to good use.
It’s been collected by the plant – owned by the Bio Capital Group – and will be transformed into sustainable electricity for use by local homes and businesses.
The biomatter is placed inside huge anaerobic digestion AD silos where it’s broken down in an oxygen-free atmosphere to produce a high performance, low carbon biogas.
Proud owners say it has enough capacity to produce enough renewable energy to power 10,000 homes annually.
The process also benefits farmers as the by-product is a high quality fertiliser that can be used to improve the health of soil, in order to increase yields.
The UK produces around more than 10 million tonnes of food waste annually, of which nearly to 50% is incinerated or landfilled.
Bio Capital is looking to hear from any local councils or farms who may be interested in turning their food scraps into renewable energy as it looks to expand operations in East London and across the UK.
Peter Sharpe, CEO of Bio Capital said: “Biogas is an increasingly important part of the energy mix in the UK as we move away from our reliance on fossil fuels. Biogas embodies the circular economic model, providing a secure, local, low carbon alternative to natural gas, reducing waste and carbon emissions. By using food waste generated in the local area, we are helping deliver greater energy independence, security and reducing need for gas imports – particularly critical in an environment of high energy prices and rising cost of living.”
