Mayor unveils plans to turn London's food waste into eco-fuel

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, today launched a major initiative to convert London's food waste into eco-fuel to cut landfill rates and carbon emissions (Wednesday 10 June).
Every year, London produces a nearly three million tonnes of organic waste, mainly from food. Nearly two thirds of this waste is currently burnt in incinerators or buried in landfill, which produces potent climate change gases. Launched at a major waste industry conference, the Mayors Foodwaste to Fuel Alliance will bring together developers, food producers, energy companies and others key parties to provide the new infrastructure needed in London to extract the fuel from the capitals leftover food. This will act as an alternative to fossil fuels to produce a greener energy to heat and power homes and power public transport and other vehicles.
The Mayor wants the Alliance, supported by Londons Waste and Recycling Board, to deliver five exemplar new bio-fuel plants in the capital by 2012. This could include the development of anaerobic digestion plants to produce renewable energy*, bio-diesel refineries, (bio-diesel is a renewable transport fuel made from cooking oil to fuel buses, taxis and minicabs), hydrogen from waste or the use of compost material for the citys allotments. The Board has £84million to spend over the next three years to reduce waste and boost recycling with £31million earmarked for projects that will create energy. It is hoped that the Olympic Games will also offer opportunities to convert its food waste into energy.
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: London is currently throwing away valuable food waste that could be used instead to produce an eco-fuel for businesses and homes. Whilst we can all take steps to throw less food away in the first place, it is extraordinary that we are losing this resource by simply chucking it out. I am absolutely determined to see that Londons reservoirs of used oil and mountains of leftovers are converted into a greener fuel saving millions of pounds off energy bills. This will also save tonnes of the climate changing gases that are damaging the planet. Three cheers to the forward thinking businesses that have signed up today to solve this problem and I urge others to now come forward to do the same.

BAA, Keystone and Sainsbury's are the first to join the Foodwaste to Fuel Alliance to help deliver a step change in the way London deals with its food waste. BAA and Sainsbury's are working with the Mayor to investigate the possibility of developing anaerobic digestion facilities in and around London. Heathrow airport produces around 8,000 tonnes of food waste each year and BAA is keen to investigate whether it is feasible to convert this into bio-gas to generate low carbon energy or as a fuel for vehicles. Sainsbury's is keen to help deliver an anaerobic digestion plant in the London area, as part of a planned wider portfolio of waste facilities that will help the company deliver its zero waste to landfill goal.

Emma Alexander, Head of waste and water at BAA, said: 'Heathrow is committed to reducing its impact on the environment. We have strict aims to achieve zero waste to landfill by 2020, as well as increasing recycling to 70 per cent. We are always looking for innovative ways to achieve our aims and that is why we are delighted to be working with the Mayor and the London Waste and Recycling Board to support solutions such as anaerobic digestion for managing airport food waste.'

Alison Austin, Sainsburys environment manager, said: We began investing in waste to energy technology over a year ago. Progress has been so quick that by the end of this summer, all of the food waste from our 500 supermarkets around the country will be connected to our Zero Food Waste to Landfill network, meaning it will be diverted from landfill and used to generate electricity. We are pleased to see that many other companies are starting to follow our lead. Food waste is a valuable resource and if it is fully used, it can cut down on fossil fuel consumption as well as use of landfill.

Bryan Jones, managing director of Keystone Distribution, said: As McDonald's dedicated food distributor, we have pioneered the conversion of McDonald's delivery fleet to bio-diesel made by recycling its used cooking oil. In London alone this has cut McDonald's distribution emissions by over 50 per cent and stopped around 750,000 litres of used cooking oil going to landfill.
ENDS
Notes to Editors
. Established in September 2008, the London Waste and Recycling Board has up to £84million to spend over the next three years to improve the way that we deal with London's waste through increased recycling, producing less rubbish and developing more environmentally-friendly ways to manage it. London's 33 boroughs remain statutorily responsible for the collection and disposal of waste in the capital. For more information on the Board, visit: www.lwarb.gov.uk
. The Food to Fuel Alliance will consist of a steering group including representatives from the London Waste and Recycling Board , the London Development Agency, the Greater London Authority, Transport for London and London Food.
. Heathrow is the world's busiest international airport, owned and operated by BAA. BAA manage waste from the terminals, airport retailers and caterers, aircraft cabin waste and property tenants. This amounts to just under 30,000 tonnes per year. Approximately 90% of the total is generated by the companies and passengers using the airport. Heathrow currently recycles over 45% of airport waste, with a commitment to recycle 70% by 2020 and to send zero waste to landfill. The airport already provides a waste cooking oil collection service to all retailers at the airport which is converted to biodiesel off site. Recycling bins are in place for passengers to segregate their waste in all terminals at Heathrow. 100% of landscaping waste is composted on site and re-used as compost - 1,200 tonnes last year. Feasibility studies are already underway on plans to collect food waste from retailers in one of the airport terminals.
. Bio-diesel is one of a number of initiatives that McDonald's is developing to convert food waste into eco-fuel. For further enquiries contact Natalie Kirby, Head of Media Relations, McDonald's UK Press Office (020) 8700 7320 during office hours, (0870) 241 3300 out of hours service: ask for the duty press officer.
. London produces 2.7million tonnes of organic waste each year - this represents 13 per cent of the total waste produced in London. 40 per cent is land filled; 19 per cent is incinerated and remainder is either composted or treated in industrial processes to produce oils and fats.
. In landfill, food waste decomposes to produce methane, a greenhouse gas 21 times more powerful than carbon dioxide. If London's organic waste were diverted to anaerobic digestion plants rather than landfill, it would save nearly 500,000 of carbon per year, and London's municipal recycling and composting rate would be 58% - energy generated from this could produce enough energy to heat 30,000 homes.
. Fats and oils contribute significantly to blockages in sewer systems and can result in flooding and pollution of water sources.
. The Mayor was speaking at an event supported by Futuresource 2009 - this is a major new exhibition and conference for the sustainable waste, recycling and resource management sector, organised by the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management in partnership with the Environmental Services Association. It will feature over 100 speakers, including key Government and Opposition ministers and industry experts, who will be looking at some of the most challenging issues facing the waste sector today. For more information, visit: www.futuresourceuk.com.
. * Anaerobic digestion is a proven renewable energy technology. It can reduce green greenhouse gas emissions by capturing methane from the decomposition of organic materials, such as food waste. Harnessing the natural process whereby the organic matter is broken down by bacteria in the absence of oxygen in a closed vessel enables production of biogas that can be used as renewable energy source for both for heat and power. Alternatively, the carbon dioxide and other impurities can be removed to produce bio-methane, which can be used as a transport fuel or injected into the gas grid. It is estimated that anaerobic digestion can save up to 250 kg of carbon per tonne of waste treated.
. Bio-gas, which is typically made up of 65 per cent methane and 35 per cent carbon dioxide, can be used to run internal combustion engines, generating heat and power, fuel vehicles or converted into hydrogen. It can be cleaned and injected into the national gas network.
For media enquiries please call Hilary Merrett at the Mayor's Press Office on 020 7983 4755. Numbers not for publication.
For out of hours media enquiries please call 020 7983 4000.
For non-media enquiries please call the Public Liaison Unit on 020 7983 4100.

Your Feedback

Related News

• Carnival UK turns waste cooking oil green
• Winning van suppliers announced in Low Carbon Vehicle Procurement Programme
• Leading to a greener London