Residents’ food waste has so far powered 62 homes for a year
Food waste recycling has helped produce a large amount of energy since being introduced last year - Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto
Recycled food waste from Welwyn Hatfield residents has generated enough electricity to power 62 homes for a year, since the weekly collection service was introduced last November.
Food waste fills up over a third of black waste bins, wasting a valuable resource.
If left unharnessed, it produces greenhouse gases, which are damaging to the environment.
Separating out food waste means that gases can be captured in the recycling process and converted into both green energy and natural fertilisers that can be used for farming.
At the beginning of February, 565 tonnes of residents’ food waste had been collected, it was then recycled to produce sufficient electricity to: Power 62 homes for a year, or boil 2,640,810 kettles, or watch 5,281,620 hours of TV or run 880 fridge freezer for a year.
You may also want to watch:
The collected food waste has also helped produce 791 tonnes of fertiliser.
Charity WRAP (Wellness Recovery Action Plan) has made Monday, March 1 through Sunday, March 7 Food Waste Action Week, to help raise awareness of the environmental consequences of wasting food, and promote activities to help make wasting food a thing of the past.
Most Read
- 1 Residents urged to comment on Wheat Quarter proposals
- 2 Care home resident celebrates 102nd birthday
- 3 The latest court results for Welwyn Hatfield and Potters Bar
- 4 'Dangerous' man imprisoned for sexual assault in Hatfield
- 5 Michael Bublé's Hatfield concert postponed until July 2022
- 6 John Lewis to reopen Welwyn Garden City store on April 12
- 7 RSPCA appeal to help seriously injured 'miracle cat' Trudie after she's hit by a bus
- 8 Which pubs are reopening in Welwyn and Hatfield on April 12?
- 9 Brookmans Park pub reopens with more outdoor space for eating and drinking
- 10 Welwyn youngsters set-up up cup showdown with five-star win over Cockfosters
WRAP says around a third of the food we produce worldwide is lost or wasted and it’s having a significant impact on climate change.
Marcus Gover, CEO of WRAP, said: “The climate crisis remains one of the biggest and most urgent challenges facing humanity. Wasted food has a significant contribution to climate change, and is something we need to address together."
Executive member for environment and planning, Cllr Stephen Boulton said: “A very big thank you to everyone across the borough who has been using their little green caddies to recycle their food waste.
"In just three months, it is great to see what a difference you are already making to the environment, generating renewable energy to power our communities and providing fertilizer for local farmland.
“As we continue to look at ways we can improve our recycling rate and reduce waste in Welwyn Hatfield, we hope to be able to extend the food waste collection service to flats in the future.”
For details on recycling your food waste, and to watch the video on the food waste journey, see the council’s website.
