Healthcare businesses across the UK are being encouraged to act fast and get prepared, before stringent new food waste legislation comes into effect early next year.*
Applicable to all businesses that generate food waste on site,** the new rules state that all commercial food waste (be that preparation waste, offcuts, spoiled produce or plate scrapings) should be separated at source, stored and collected for recycling by a reputable service provider. Any business that fails to adhere will be liable to significant penalties.
Richard Poskitt, head of supply chain/commercial at ReFood, the UK’s leading food waste recycler, believes that the move is a significant step forward. He says: “Every year, healthcare businesses in the UK throw away a huge volume of food waste, contributing to a national mountain exceeding 10.5 million tonnes. When left to rot in the ground, food waste releases greenhouse gases considered 21 times more damaging to the environment than CO2. For this reason alone, mandating a ban is simply common sense.”
While businesses may be concerned about the cost and disruption of embracing food waste recycling services, Poskitt explains that working with a proven supplier can make the whole process quick, simple and seamless. What’s more, it can significantly improve your sustainability credentials alongside.
Poskitt continues: “Legislation can often put added pressure on businesses, but the ban on food waste to landfill will instead offer immediate benefits. With the opportunity to streamline processes and improve environmental credentials, it’s a real win-win situation.
“However, with just a few months to go before guidance becomes law, there isn’t time to waste. If you don’t already recycle your food waste, now’s the time to engage with providers and implement a reliable service. It’s important that you partner with a supplier that understands your business and can offer the flexibility needed to minimise disruption. This is key to achieving the best possible results.”
As the UK’s leading food waste recycler, ReFood operates three state-of-the-art anaerobic digestion (AD) sites in Doncaster, Widnes and Dagenham. Working with businesses across the supply chain, ReFood collects 480,000 tonnes of food waste every year and recycles it to generate clean, green, renewable energy. Nothing is wasted during the process, with the residual digestate repurposed as a sustainable liquid bio-fertiliser for local farmers.
Perfect for businesses operating within the healthcare sector, ReFood’s unique ‘bin swap’ service sees full bins exchanged with clean, sanitised, replacements. This means that bins can be hygienically used indoors, enabling staff to separate at source with no disruption to service.
For more information about ReFood, visit www.refood.co.uk, or call 0800 011 3214 and speak to the team about your requirements.
* Non-household municipal premises will be required to make arrangements for separate food waste collections and present the waste in accordance with legislation by 31 March 2025.
** Micro-firms will have extra time to bring in new requirements for dry recyclable waste streams (excluding film) and food waste – they must comply by 31 March 2027.
