Welcome to the AD in the hospitality sector issue of AD & Biogas News

The November issue email links to this post in error, so to see the November issue cover letter please click here

It is now becoming everyday practice to look at what we throw away, making sure nothing recyclable ends up in the bottom of the bin. Driven by a pressure on resources and the impact on climate change of emissions, the growing move towards a circular economy to ensure nothing we produce is wasted means more and more businesses are looking to change their approach to waste. Value is now being seen in something which before was only seen as a problem. With 7.8 million tonnes of food waste generated annually by UK businesses, AD offers a means to retain the greatest value from this waste.

In our feature ‘Closing the Loop on Food Waste – AD in the Hospitality Sector’ (p.14-18) we are exploring how a range of hospitality businesses have reduced costs, achieved carbon savings and increased recycling rates by sending their food waste to AD. Taking a closer look at everything from waste collection services, including issues of frequency, contamination and flexibility, to education, policy drivers, innovation and AD capacity, this feature gives you a real insight into how we can improve uptake of AD in the hospitality sector.

However, it’s not just the hospitality sector that can reap environmental and commercial benefits from AD as the UK’s biggest AD event of the year, our two day trade show and conference UK AD & Biogas 2013, demonstrated at the beginning of July. With visitors, speakers and exhibitors from across all sectors of the AD industry, including local authorities, food and drink businesses and farmers, UK AD & Biogas 2013 was our busiest show to date, highlighting the flexibility of the technology and the range of businesses already taking advantage of its benefits. With so many new buyers through the door, exhibitors were kept busy taking orders on-site, launching new products and dealing with enquiries. To find out exactly what you missed turn to our big show review (p.22-25).

And if you need further proof that the UK AD industry is booming then you may be interested to find out how biomethane as a transport fuel is really starting to hit the gas. From the new backing for local authority fleet projects through to the Clean Bus Technology Fund, including increased availability of biomethane vehicles from fleet manufacturers, there is promising development in the decarbonisation of vehicles. Our UK Biomethane and Gas Vehicle Conference 2013 review takes a closer look at the steps vehicle manufacturers, fleet operators, local authorities and the Department for Transport are employing to increase the use of biomethane in HGVs and bus fleets (p.9-11).

Nonetheless it’s not all good news for the industry as the government plans to go ahead with FIT degression despite evidence provided in a joint response by ADBA, REA, NNFCC, NFU, CLA and RASE, that doing so threatens to significantly limit the growth of small scale AD. Long term security of financial incentives and consistent government support are critical to ensuring AD reaches it potential, a message ADBA and its partners are voicing strongly. For further information on this, including the work we are undertaking to tackle it, please turn to page 4.

Also find inside this issue:

• Making AD the hospitality sector’s first choice – guest foreword by Claire Atkins-Morris, Head of Waste Management at caterer Sodexo (p.3)
• European Bioenergy Policy set to impact UK (p.4)
• UK AD & Biogas Industry Awards review (p.20-21)
• Equipment focus – pumps (p.27-28)

I hope you enjoy this publication and find it informative. If you haven’t contributed before and would like some free publicity, go to page three to see how you can be involved in our upcoming features. As always, if you have any views, comments or suggestions – or would like us to visit your site – please contact me.

With best wishes,

Charlotte Morton
Chief Executive

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