WIREDGOV

The ready meals factory will use state-of-the-art technology, to transform food waste into heat, power and compost. It will contribute up to 10% of the factories power and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by an estimated 7500 tonnes per annum.

The Welsh Assembly Government funding will contribute towards a £5 million large-scale anaerobic digestion (AD) unit being developed by InSource Energy Limited. The unit will help power the R F Brookes ready meals plant owned by Premier Foods Plc at Rogerstone, near Newport, who supply major names in the retail and hospitality sector, including Marks and Spencer.

AD technology will convert food waste left over from the production of ready meals to provide heat and power for the processing plant.

Jane Davidson said:

I am delighted that we have been able to support this important new project – a first in Wales.

Food waste is a major challenge for us all and it is vital that as well as minimising the amount of waste we create, we reduce the amount of that waste that goes to landfill. This will make a vital contribution to reducing our carbon footprint.

This project will be a wonderful example of turning of food waste into clean, renewable energy.

The Welsh Assembly Government and waste advisory body WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) worked closely together to offer support for this investment.

WRAP Cymru Market Development Manager Peter Webster said:

This project is an exciting environmental development for Wales. The Welsh Assembly Government has concluded that AD is by far the best environmental technology to tackle food waste, and has committed significant funds for us to award on their behalf, to help put the infrastructure in place across the country. We expect this to be the first of several plants to be established, and we have recently launched another programme of funding which will hopefully carry the initiative forward to 2014.

InSource’s managing director John Scott said:

We are delighted to have secured this investment which will help us to realise this significant development in the on-site treatment of biodegradable waste for Premier Foods. The level of venture capital that is being made available to us should also give confidence to other investors and encourage them to fund companies developing sustainable solutions to the treatment of biodegradable waste.

R F Brookes site director, Steve Evans, said:

Premier Foods is fully aware of the importance, and relevance, of sustainability throughout our business operations. We’ve set a challenging target of sending zero waste to landfill by 2015 and also to investigate opportunities for obtaining energy from renewable sources. We are pleased that this initiative helps us to achieve both of these objectives and are delighted to be the first company in Wales to adopt this technology in this way.

The RF Brookes plant is a major supplier to Marks and Spencer. Richard Gillies, director of Marks and Spencer ‘Plan A’ - said:

Using anaerobic digestion to generate renewable electricity is one of the commitments M&S has made as part of Plan A - our 100-point eco-plan. What's more, we encourage all our suppliers to consider environmentally-efficient initiatives like anaerobic digestion. That's why we're very supportive of RF Brookes' project and we wish them every success with the site.

AD is an extremely effective way of converting food waste into renewable energy, particularly from commercial and industrial sources. The factory will treat approximately 10,000 tonnes of waste per year, much of which would otherwise have gone to landfill and released methane, a particularly damaging greenhouse gas, as it decomposed. AD breaks down waste quickly into gas which can then be used to provide power and heat. The remaining organic material can be used to improve the quality of soil for agriculture or horticulture.

Related Links

http://wales.gov.uk/topics/environmentcountryside/epq/waste_recycling/?lang=en