PRESS RELEASE: AD industry joins coalition calling for food waste collections

• AD industry body joins over 40 others in calling for separate food waste collections
• Coalition includes Greenpeace, Iceland, and Sustainable Soils Alliance
• Resources & Waste Strategy to set out government’s plans for recycling and waste

The UK’s trade body for anaerobic digestion (AD) has joined a coalition of over 40 trade bodies, campaign groups, businesses, and local authorities that has called on government to “fast-track” the rollout of separate food waste collections across England.

Members of the coalition (listed in full below) have signed a joint statement that has been presented to government calling for the move, which would allow inedible food waste to be separated from other waste streams and recycled through AD and composting into renewable energy and natural fertiliser. It is hoped that the policy of universal food waste collections will be included in the government’s forthcoming Resources & Waste Strategy, which is due to be published by the end of the month.

Only around a third of households in England currently have food waste collections, whereas the devolved governments in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have all made separate collections mandatory. Environment Secretary Michael Gove said in October that he would “like to see” a national separate food waste collection scheme.

Charlotte Morton, Chief Executive of the Anaerobic Digestion & Bioresources Association (ADBA), who wrote to Mr Gove this week to state ADBA’s commitment to the statement, said:

Separate food waste collections are vital in helping to make people more aware of how much edible food they are wasting and in ensuring that any inedible food waste can be recycled through AD into renewable energy and natural fertiliser rather than being left to rot in landfill or wasted in incineration. Fully recycling food waste is vital to allowing the UK to meet its climate-change commitments as well as restoring our soils, managing our wastes, and decarbonising our energy supply.

 

ADBA was proud to sign this statement alongside a range of organisations and businesses who share our vision of a society where resources are put to best use and waste is minimised. The devolved nations have shown that separate food waste collections work, and the Committee on Climate Change and National Infrastructure Commission have both called for this policy to be implemented in England – what we now need is the political will to make this happen.

The full list of signatories to the statement is:

• ADBA
• Absolute Management and Marketing
• A Plastic Planet
• Air Liquide UK
• Aquapak Ltd
• BASF Germany
• Biobag Ltd
• Biome Biotechnologies
• Bio-Based & Biodegradable Industries Association
• Celanese Ltd
• Charlie Trousdell Associates
• Compost Bag Company, Belgium
• Confederation of Paper Industries
• Cromwell Polythene
• Earth Friendly Foodware Ltd
• Ecosurety Ltd
• Ernest R. Shaw Ltd
• Final Straw Cornwall Ltd
• Floreon
• Fuchs Lubricants
• Futamura Ltd
• Greenlane Biogas Ltd
• Greenpeace UK
• Iceland Food Ltd
• KCC Packaging Ltd
• Lutra Ltd
• Natureworks LLC
• NNFCC
• Novamont Plc Italy
• Oceanium Ltd
• Rapid Action Packaging UK Ltd
• Renewable Energy Association
• Resource Association
• Severn Trent Green Power
• South Lakeland Council
• Sphere Group
• Sustainable Soils Alliance
• Tipa Israel
• Vegware Ltd
• Waste Aid
• Wigan Council
• World Biogas Association
• Councillors of Stroud District Council: Doina Cornell (Leader) & Paul Denney (Environment Committee)

ENDS 

Notes for editors

Anaerobic Digestion & Bioresources Association (ADBA) website: www.adbioresources.org 

ADBA is the trade association for the anaerobic digestion (AD) industry in the UK and companies and organisations working on novel technologies and processes that compliment the anaerobic digestion process and products. With our members we promote the economic and environmental benefits of AD in the UK.

We represent organisations from many sectors including: AD operators, AD developers, AD equipment providers, water companies, farmers, food & drink retailers, waste companies, universities and more.

Contact details 

Chris Noyce, PR & Parliamentary Affairs Executive, ADBA 

T: 020 3176 5441      E: chris.noyce@adbioresources.org 

Website: www.adbioresources.org 

Twitter: @adbioresources