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Scotland sees surge in food composting

The amount of commercial food waste composted in Scotland rose by 1800 per cent between 2012 and 2013, new figures have revealed.

Scotland sees surge in food composting

According to ‘A survey of the organics reprocessing industry in Scotland in 2013: A report on the structure of the Scottish AD & composting sectors and the markets for outputs’, there was also an overall estimated increase in organic processing of 11,000 tonnes (nine per cent) in 2013, up from 121,000 tonnes in 2012.

Composting

The largest increase came from material sourced from food manufacturers and processors, who sent 38,000 tonnes of organic waste for composting in 2013, up from just 2,000 tonnes in 2012 (an increase of 1800 per cent). Zero Waste Scotland has attributed this increase to ‘businesses pre-empting a change in regulation requiring some food businesses [those producing more than 50 kilogrammes of food waste per week] to present food waste for separate collection from 1 January 2014’.

The increase is even more surprising as the composting sector in general saw a fall in the number of sites running, and the amount of waste processed; 29 sites composted 411,000 tonnes of organic waste in 2013, down from the 33 sites composting 475,000 tonnes in 2012.

Anaerobic Digestion

The anaerobic digestion (AD) sector reported growth in 2013; despite the number of AD sites holding firm at 11 in 2013, employment has risen from 62 full-time equivalents in 2012 to 70 in 2013.

Further, the amount of materials sent to AD plants by local authorities significantly increased, rising by 12,000 tonnes between 2012 and 2013.

It is estimated that industrial sites co-located with drinks manufacturers, breweries and distilleries (that process large volumes of liquid and discharge to sewer) accounted for two million tonnes of throughput in Scotland in 2013. All other types of site processed an estimated 132,000 tonnes in 2013, an increase of nine per cent on 2012.

Excluding the industrial sites that discharge treated water to sewers, the majority of input to AD plants in 2013 was separated solid food (64 per cent, up from 54 per cent in 2012) with almost all the rest (34 per cent) being liquids (as opposed to manures or purpose grown crops, which account for 31 per cent of inputs to AD in the UK as a whole).

Although an estimated 120,000 tonnes of digestate was produced in 2013 (from non-industrial AD sites), compared to 110,000 tonnes in 2012, just one of the eight sites responding to the survey said it produced outputs certified to PAS110.

The report concludes: ‘There has been some contraction, in terms of number of composting sites and total quantity processed, but this has mostly been due to the disappearance of the ‘lower tech’ processes such as aerated static piles. At the same time, there is evidence of the remaining composters gaining access to higher value end markets.

'In contrast, the data from the AD sites indicates a sector that is smaller and less developed, with less evidence of commitment to certified quality assurance and capturing value through end markets for their digestate.

'Both sectors contribute to the Scottish economy through employment and the value of their outputs, both to the operators and to their end markets.'

Food waste collection will have a significant impact on the industry’

Speaking of the findings, Iain Gulland, Chief Executive of Zero Waste Scotland, said: “This report shows a significant increase in the amount of food waste being processed by the organics industry in Scotland in 2013 and it augurs well for the impact of the waste regulations on the Scottish organics sector. The figures for 2013 show increases in key areas relating to the amount of waste being input, especially from local authorities, and increased employment and economic activity in the sector.

“One of the biggest increases was in food waste coming from local authorities. Thanks to Zero Waste Scotland’s support, more Scottish households than ever before – 1.3 million – now have access to a food waste collection, and we would expect this, together with the impact of the waste regulations, to have a significant impact on the industry going forward.”

 This Scottish report complements WRAP’s study of the AD sector across the whole of the UK, also released earlier this week, which shows that the number of operational sites increased by 34 per cent, the amount of material processed grew by 51 per cent and operating capacity as a whole waste up 55 per cent (from 2.07 million tonnes to 3.2 million tonnes) in 2013.

Read Zero Waste Scotland’s report on the organics reprocessing industry in Scotland in 2013 or WRAP’s survey of the UK Anaerobic Digestion Industry in 2013.

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