A notable opportunity recently emerged for a prominent UK food waste recycling company to submit a bid for a local authority’s (LA) food waste services contract.
As an integral component of the application process, tender candidates were asked to perform a carbon footprint of the anaerobic digestion (AD) facility under consideration. This calculation was to encompass not only the plant’s direct emissions, but also those emissions associated with the waste contract, including haulage and distribution.
The driving force behind this contract, was the still imminent legislative roll out of LA food waste collection and management services (Environment Act, 2021). This change in legislation aims to reduce the UK’s national food waste, which significantly contributes to our total greenhouse gas emissions, and generate high grade renewable outputs including biogas, biomethane and nutrient rich digestate.
Of the 14 AD sites the company operates across the UK, the site presented in the proposal handles a capacity of 20,000 metric tonnes of food and organic ‘green’ waste per annum.
With the technical support of WRM Ltd, the total tonnes of CO2e emitted per annum (scope 1 and 2) was calculated for differing levels of feedstock and fuel use.
This involved:
- Addressing which scope 1 and 2 emissions were required within the tender document;
- Identifying and applying the relevant emissions factors for these sources;
- and, apportioning the overall carbon emissions to a contract level.
Subsequent to this, the company commissioned another carbon footprint for a different AD site.
Click here to read about WRM’s carbon footprint services.
