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Food waste and the circular economy

Blog
Vicky Horsfield
07 Mar 2023

Food waste in the UK

It has been said one man’s rubbish is another man’s treasure! Could this be the truth in tackling food waste issues and encouraging food waste separation? Around 9.5 million tonnes of food is wasted in the UK. 70% of it was meant to be eaten, while the remaining 30% was the inedible parts, according to WRAP. Not only is that economically and ethically wrong, but wasting such large amounts of food in landfill is also a foolish waste of natural resources whilst making harmful gases.

What is a circular economy model?

A circular economy model ensures that products and materials are put in use for as long as possible, reducing the amount of waste and pollution.

Having a circular economy model for food waste, by having measures such as having separate food collections, contributes to the streams to reduce waste and reuse elsewhere. A circular economy for food waste also provides the opportunity for greener jobs and training opportunities with a focus on net zero. The Welsh Government has announced the publication of the Stronger, Fairer, Greener Wales: Net Zero Skills Plan, stating how the government intend to promote collaboration to upskill the people of Wales. The strategy is bringing together businesses, industry, education, Tus and Welsh government to give the people of Wales the skills to work in net zero jobs.

image showing how the circular economy works

Why is it beneficial?

In Darwen, Suez, the recycling giant has been granted permission to build a waste food plant to generate fuel. The anaerobic digestion facility will produce enough biomethane every day to power 7,000 homes and reduce the reliance on gas derived from fossil fuels. In addition, the facility could divert food waste from landfills by turning it into biogas, upgraded to biomethane and fed into the gas grid or converted into electricity via generators on site.

This initiative creates new employment opportunities and a solution to food waste in the area, producing renewable energy and putting nutrients back into the soil.

How can YPO help?

It can be complex to navigate and understand how to create a waste and recycling service for your local areas to support these types of initiatives to manage food waste. Our team of experts at YPO can support all your procurement requirements with various suitable frameworks to deliver your food waste management plan.

So, whether you’re at the start of the journey or need additional resources, we’re here to help.

Explore our food waste management frameworks

Compostable Liners - 1013

Plastic Wheeled Bins including Distribution/Collection Services - 1040

Recycling Products - 1063

Purchase, Lease and Hire of Specialist Vehicles - 1170

Alternative Fuelled Vehicles DPS 1066 Lot 1, 7

Food Deals Frameworks 985 & Food Deal 2 – Direct awards - 1114

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Author

Vicky Horsfield

Category Manager for Facilities Management

YPO