Proper Cornish...
Cornish Company is First Food Manufacturer in UK to Install Biodigester
- Proper Cornish Food Company plans to transform waste into fuel -
Proper Cornish Food Company is the first food manufacturer in the country to install a BioNova biodigestion plant - a cutting edge solution for food waste. The company has spent over £90,000 on the high tech system that will literally transform its waste into a fuel, and which will eventually power the hot water system in its Bodmin factory.
Proper Cornish currently deals with around five tonnes of food waste a week, which it recycles off site. Phase one of its ambitious plans is the installation of the new accelerated aerobic biodigester at the factory, cutting out ‘waste miles’. The machine is already up and running, processing waste and turning it into a fuel bi-product. Phase two is the installation of a biomas boiler which will use this fuel to heat the factory’s water, reducing the consumption of carbon based fuels.
Phil Ugalde, Managing Director, comments: “Despite our best efforts, there will always be some food waste and previously we were recycling this off site. Although this was preferable to it ending up in landfill, we weren’t comfortable driving the waste across the county to be recycled, emitting more greenhouse gases in the process. The new system is fantastic, as it not only recycles the waste at source, but in the long term it will help us to reduce our fuel bills by providing an alternative way of heating our hot water. All in all, an environmentally clean solution.”
The system works by using bacteria, oxygen and heat to convert food waste into a nitrogen and mineral rich compound that can be used as a fuel – all within 72 hours! The bi-product fuel is then used via a Biomass boiler to produce a constant level of hot water. The process reduces waste volumes by 75%.
The biodigester not only increases the company’s green credentials, but in the long term it will also save it money. At this time of credit crunch, Proper Cornish is committed to investing in ‘green’ systems that will provide cost savings in the future.
Clive Tayton, Director at AP Waste Handling who supply the BioNova system, explains: “In the long term installing a biodigester and biomass boiler can seriously save companies money. It takes away waste disposal and transport costs and reduces the amount spent on carbon based fuels, such as natural gas. We estimate that within 36-38 months the product will have paid for itself via the savings made. Basically it pays to be green!”
Proper Cornish Food Company is committed to reducing its environmental impact. The biodigestion plant is the latest on a long list of sustainable initiatives that the company has put in place. Other elements include, working with the Carbon Trust to reduce its energy consumption, recycling 100 tonnes of cardboard every year, donating all vegetable waste to a local pig farmer, and using a compostable film on its individually wrapped products. It also recycles all waste oil, batteries and spent light bulbs/ tubes via licensed handlers, and has installed an Effluent Bio-Reactor to treat waste water from the vegetable preparation unit. For more information on Proper Cornish Food Company visit www.propercornish.co.uk. For information on the BioNova system visit www.bionovarecycling.com or email sales@bionovarecycling.com - ENDS - For more information, interviews or images contact:Kate Kerss on 01225 470329 / 07771 658172 or kate@katekersspr.co.uk
Abby Richardson on 0117 9441045 / 07876 378733 or abs_richardson@yahoo.co.uk
Notes to editors:· Other companies / organisations that have installed BioNova systems include Ikea, Honda and HM Prison Service· The food and drink sector in the UK uses 440 million cubic meters of water, produces 12.6 million tonnes of waste, and gives rise to 12.4 million tonnes of CO2 emissions from energy use each year. Most of the waste currently goes into landfill, where it then degrades and produces methane, a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming. The government is consulting on setting a target for diversion of 63% of commercial and and industrial waste from landfill by 2010.