Speech by Joan Ruddock MP on food waste and anaerobic digestion to the ESA (Environmental Services Association) Conference, London - 16 October 2007
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak to you today. And thank you for the positive remarks about me and Government policy. I will happy to discuss planning issues with those of who you have concerns on another occasion.
Waste and what we do with it is an issue that is very close to my heart.
Some of you may recall that in November 2002 I won a place in the Private Members Ballot and sought your advice when I introduced the Household Waste Recycling Bill. So thanks to Dirk [Hazell – CE ESA] and others for that advice. It’s now an Act of Parliament, requiring local authorities to collect at least two types of recyclable waste from every household by 2010. And I’m told it’s made a difference; as Dirk mentioned, recycling rates have quadrupled.
But more needs to be done. And any future success will hinge on whether we can persuade households to recycle more, and to recycle more types of waste, and to separate more of their waste, giving us more scope for processing and recycling.
Food waste will be a vital consideration and I know many of you are looking to tackle it. But we are aware it is more difficult to deal with than the usual dry recyclables that have been the mainstay of most kerbside collections.
Central Government doesn’t usually have a preference when it comes to how leftover waste is dealt with as long as all the options higher up the waste hierarchy have been exhausted first.
It usually down to each local authority to determine how best to deal with the waste in their area and make decisions that fit their own individual circumstances.
But when it comes to food waste we do have a preference. We think anaerobic digestion is the best process to use, and that local authorities need to collect food waste separately for this purpose.
It ticks all the boxes environmentally. It produces 100% renewable energy, and the treated material can be returned to the land as a fertiliser – offering us a virtuous circle. And the whole process reduces greenhouse gas emissions when compared with other waste processes.
But how significant is the food waste stream at the moment? Apologies if this is repetition, but overall nearly 7 million tonnes is produced by households each year. That’s about a fifth of our domestic waste. And commercial and industrial food waste is estimated to produce another 6 million tonnes.
It is difficult for us – even those who are in the business – to picture what 7 million tonnes of food waste looks like, but someone in the Department has calculated that if you tried to put that amount of waste into your average municipal dustcart it would fill around 350,000 vehicles. And if these vehicles were parked bumper to bumper they would stretch from London to Istanbul. You’ll realise why they didn’t do the calculation for this plus commercial waste!
The waste hierarchy dictates that landfill is the last resort for our waste. But this is exactly where the vast majority of food waste currently ends up. Clearly this is a wasted opportunity and I’m sure as members of the waste industry you agree.
It should be used as an energy source, it should be used as a fertiliser. But in landfill it adds to the methane - which is a potent greenhouse gas, contributing 7.5% of our emissions.
But there are plenty of opportunities to divert waste away from landfill.
We should begin by reducing the amount of food we buy. We need to plan beforehand. We buy too much in the first place. Then we cook too much. Over half of us cook too much food for an average meal – my husband’s no exception! Those of us who can should, of course, compost more at home – though despite many episodes with Monty Don I still haven’t got the knack of it so I’ve opted for a green cone: my own anaerobic digestor, which has worked successfully for 4 years. I think it’s an extraordinary comment on our times that that the average household feels able to waste £250 – 400 each year on food it throws away.
But the good thing is there are initiatives underway to bring about change. Through the Courtauld Commitment the Waste and Resources Action Programme - WRAP - is working to reduce consumer food waste by 100,000 tonnes by March. As you heard from Philip Ward this morning, one of the ways they hope to achieve this, and we are very keen to support, is through a food waste campaign due to be launched later this year.
As part of the Courtauld Commitment WRAP is also working with retailers and manufacturers to develop new ways to help consumers get the most out of their food.
One of the scandals of food waste is that those of us that can afford it throw food away, whilst other people cannot afford to buy it. FareShare is one organisation working with over 100 food businesses to minimise food waste and tackle poverty.
Surplus food is collected from retail outlets and brought to organisations like the Deptford Churches Centre in my constituency, where 100 homeless people receive a hot meal and support every day. In 2005 Fareshare saved more than 2,000 tonnes of food from being wasted. They supplied 3.3 million meals to 12,000 disadvantaged people each day in 34 cities and towns across the UK and that saved business C02 emissions of 13,000 tonnes.
Despite the existence of these initiatives, we will inevitably be left with a large amount of food waste requiring treatment. And this is where anaerobic digestion comes in.
And for you in the waste industry it has great potential for business. Yet I am told there are only 3 commercial anaerobic digestion plants in England that treat food waste. We are keen to see as many of you as possible adopt the anaerobic digestion process.
But for a technology like this to develop it needs a market. And one of the ways Government supports market growth is through its funding of the Carbon Trust. Last month the Carbon Trust announced a new joint venture to accelerate development of the UK’s commercial waste to energy market. Insource Energy is currently focussing on six sections of the UK food industry and its first proposals will provide on-site anaerobic digesters. It is hoped that this will accelerate the growth and interest in energy from waste systems, and encourage major investment and major players into the market, as demonstrated by their partnership with Scottish and Southern Energy. And Insource Energy are technologically impartial, meaning they can recommend and install the best technology to suit the particular waste stream.
Investors, as we know only too well, need certainty that the demand will be there for anaerobic digestion and its products before investing, and we know confidence needs to be built in the quality and use of the materials involved in the process. We know that the treated digestate from anaerobic digestion plants has the potential to be used as a fertiliser but that at the moment it remains as a waste and is subject to waste management controls.
To tackle this issue we have asked the Environment Agency and WRAP to develop a standard for anaerobic digestate so that we can clearly identify when it has been fully recovered and can be treated as a product. They aim to publish the standards and relevant protocol, I understand, in the first half of next year.
Along with establishing a new revenue stream we recognise the need for market support. That is why we want to be sure that our Renewables Obligation is key to the development of anaerobic digestion. The Obligation shows the Government’s long term commitment to renewable electricity and will allow the sector to mature with certainty.
Our proposals to band the Renewables Obligation are intended to triple the generation we get from renewables, including energy from waste, by 2015. Under these proposals anaerobic digestion will be among the technologies that would receive additional support in the form of two ROCs per mega watt hour. This would significantly improve the economic framework for investment in AD.
Government has contributed £1.2 million from our New Technologies Demonstrator Programme to help develop the Biocycle Anaerobic Digester Plant in Ludlow, South Shropshire. This is a plan processing municipal waste. It has been designed and built to a very high standard and has been in operation for over a year. It incorporates the digester and an energy plant to export energy to the national grid. There is also, very importantly, a nearby visitor centre which has been designed to give people a clear and impartial view of the technology and let them view its performance at first hand. I’m looking forward to making a visit and hope that those of you who haven’t yet found the time will do so too.
Anaerobic digestion can also provide our farmers with a number of opportunities. It will help them reduce the methane emissions produced by agriculture – currently running at 37%. It will allow them to diversify into the renewable energy field. And as a by-product of the process to improve their local air and water quality.
Work is already under way to further develop this technology within the agriculture sector.
The company Biogen was established in 2005 to develop an on-farm anaerobic digestion plant. It produces renewable energy from the recycling of food waste. The on site pig farm pumps slurry directly into the unit and a bio-fertiliser from the unit is spread over arable land. This is an excellent example of using food wastes and other organic feedstocks in AD, with the resulting digestate going back to agricultural land. I understand that an anaerobic digestion plant in Holworth, Devon is doing similar work
So, and apologies if this is repetition – it is one of the hazards of coming half way through the programme I’m afraid - work is already underway to tackle the issue of food waste.
As far as the future is concerned we need to give potential investors, the supply chain and the market greater regulatory certainty.
As I’ve said, we do want to make sure that we establish proper standards and protocols for anaerobic digestate.
And ensure there is strong support for the sector through our Renewables Obligation.
But above all we want to make sure the public and other sectors fully understand the issues involved and the solutions being proposed.
It is imperative that we establish a system that encourages people and businesses to reduce their food waste by separating as much of as possible the unavoidable waste and making it available for collection and treatment by anaerobic digestion.
But we always need to do more. I believe that if we work together we will succeed and create a prosperous anaerobic digestion market that benefits society, the environment and, I trust, your businesses. I look forward to further discussions with you, and to hearing your suggestions.
Thank you
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17 October 2007