Where your food waste goes

Updated: 16 December 2019

Three Rivers District Council works with Severn Trent Green Power (STGP) to make the most of your food waste.

Three Rivers District Council works with Severn Trent Green Power (STGP) to make the most of your food waste.

Their Anaerobic Digesters (ADs) recycle household food waste into clean, renewable energy and nutritious fertiliser. Our crews were recently asked to feature in a film, to show you what happens to the food you put in your food pod.

Cllr Phil Williams, Lead Member for Environment, said: “It was a great opportunity for our crews to showcase their role in the food recycling process, and for local people to see where their food waste goes.”

Recycling food waste is important, UK households waste 7million tonnes of food per year, 5million of which is edible, which is costing the average family around £70 per month in unused food.

Pamela Lloyd, Commercial Director at Severn Trent Green Power, added: “Our AD facility at London Colney processes about 50,000 tonnes of food waste each year. From this, we create three megawatts of electricity, which is enough to power 6,000 average-sized homes. Once the food waste has been fully digested, it becomes a nutrient-rich fertilizer which is spread back to land. The whole process has the net greenhouse benefit of taking 80,000 cars off the road.”

View the film and find out more about the food waste collection service via www.threerivers.gov.uk/egcl-page/food-pod

While this way of recycling is highly efficient, we still encourage you to reduce your food waste as much as possible. For more tips and ideas visit:  www.lovefoodhatewaste.com