Closing the food supply loop with ReFood

Every year, more than 10 million tonnes of food is wasted across the UK. While almost two thirds arises within the home, the remainder is generated by businesses across the food supply chain – from manufacturers and logistics companies to grocery retailers and hospitality firms.

While general waste has historically been considered the ‘easy’ way to dispose of unwanted food, it comes at a significant environmental cost. Indeed, during the natural degradation process, every tonne of food waste releases greenhouse gases considered 21 times more damaging than CO2. If food waste were a country, it would be the world’s third highest polluter after China and the USA.

As part of national efforts to cut carbon emissions and accelerate progress towards net zero, the UK government has recently implemented legislation banning the landfilling of food waste. Coming as part of Simpler Recycling reforms, the ban mandates all UK businesses to separate commercial food waste at source and organise for it to be recycled. Failing to comply will leave businesses liable to fines, enforcement action and even prosecution.

At ReFood, we operate three state-of-the-art anaerobic digestion (AD) facilities in the UK, collectively turning 480,000 tonnes of food waste into renewable energy and biofertiliser every year. Working with hundreds of organisations, including restaurants and food service outlets, we help businesses to turn unwanted waste into valuable resources.

Our collections are renowned nationwide, while our service flexibility and attention to detail sets us apart from the crowd. Alongside customisable collection times and the ability to accept packaged food, we provide a ‘bin swap’ service as standard, which sees full bins switched for clean, sanitised replacements. This alleviates any concerns over odour and means that ReFood bins can be hygienically used in kitchen areas.

By partnering with ReFood, businesses are guaranteed a reliable collection and recycling solution to keep them abreast of Simpler Recycling legislation.

Raising awareness of Simpler Recycling legislation and engaging with forward thinking businesses were key reasons behind our decision to attend this year’s ReGeneration Earth conference. The event’s ability to bring together visionaries, policy makers, entrepreneurs, investors, corporate leaders and environmental advocates provides an unmatched platform to reach business leaders and explain the countless benefits of food waste recycling.

As part of the agenda, we’ll be delivering a lightening talk, which will explore new food waste legislation and the implications for homeowners and businesses. What’s more, our team will be on site throughout the event to speak with businesses about the environmental and legislative imperative of recycling commercial food waste.

To find out more about ReFood, or how we can help your business to meet the requirements of Simpler Recycling legislation, visit www.refood.co.uk.

Refood will also be at our flagship conference, ReGeneration Earth delivering an lightning talk on food waste recycling, the legislation, impact, and the power of anaerobic digestion.