When it comes to protecting the environment, we are more than happy to learn and share that some positive changes have been happening lately around the world. Having in concern the environmental problems that food waste causes, there are more and more examples of companies using their food waste for good purposes. The French supermarket chain “Intermarché” took a humorous but thoughtful initiative which reached a success in increasing the customers’ awareness about food waste. Moreover, “Sandwich me in” café in Chicago also makes a good use of its waste. But a British Supermarket chain is about to take the solution for their food waste problem to the next level. “Sainsbury’s”, the second largest supermarket chain in the UK, is planning to power one of its stores using only the company’s food waste. “Biffa”, a firm that is doing waste management and recycling, is the chain’s partner in this project which will take place in “Sainsbury’s” location in Cannock.
The project will be realized using advanced anaerobic digestion (AD) facilities and a power link which will provide waste that has been generated from other locations of the supermarket chain to the Cannock location.
This is an amazing project because it serves for the protection of the environment because as we know, food waste is one of the modern world’s biggest problems. It harms the climate, the water, the land and the biodiversity. This is why the project will close the circle of food recycling.
In a few words the main idea is that Biffa trucks will gather the waste and take it to its AD plant where large silos will process it (just like the human stomach processes the food we eat). The electricity is generated through the gas, and is used to supply the store in Cannock through a nine miles long cable. If there is any excess energy, it will go to the national electricity grid.
Although the company is doing a great job recycling their food waste, using it for energy purposes isn’t their number one priority. They are donating their food waste for charity and only if there is any left, they put the AD process into action.
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