Waste partnership awarded £800,000 funding
The success of Buckinghamshire’s fight to reduce food waste has been recognised with a funding award ofmore than£800,000 from the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG).Over the next three years, this funding which will go to the Joint WasteCommittee of the Buckinghamshire Waste Partnership, comprising the five local authorities in the county. The cashwill help to support the partnership’s project, Fighting Food Waste.
The project aims to reduce the amount of food waste produced in our homes that is sent to landfill, saving Buckinghamshire residents money.
The food waste, collected from households is sent for processing in an anaerobic digestion facility. Here the food waste is broken down by micro-organisms in the absence of oxygen, to produce a methane rich gas used to generate renewable electricity, used to power homes and businesses. The remaining (digestate) is high in nutrients, so can be used as a fertiliser by farmers. Bio-degradable waste, such as food in landfill sites, is a major cause of methane gas, which is a potent greenhouse gas and highly damaging to the ozone layer. Landfill gas emissions are is a major issue in the UK where we throw away seven million tonnes of food and drink each year. This means the average household throws away about £50 to £60 each month.
County Councillor Lesley Clarke OBE, Chairman of the Joint Waste Committee for Buckinghamshire, said, “Our partnership has had some great results in reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill and preventing food waste in the County. This helps our residents save money which greatly reduces our impact on the environment. We still have a lot more work to do and this DCLG funding will enable us to continue with this strategy and achieve great results for Buckinghamshire.”
To get free help and advice on how to reduce your food waste visit www.recycleforbuckinghamshire.co.uk