The green light has been given for the expansion of ReFood’s Anaerobic Digestion (AD) plant in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Costing £1.85 million, the expansion is part of the UK food waste recycling specialist’s Vision 2020 plan, a major programme of investment into food waste recycling facilities as an energy resource in the UK and to achieve zero food waste to landfill by the end of the decade.
The Doncaster plant will double in size and become the largest food waste anaerobic digestion plant in the UK. Taking 160,000 tonnes of food waste per year it will generate 5 MW of electricity and heat to the national grid, create low carbon biogas, as well as liquid fertiliser for local farmers, which would otherwise have gone to landfill. The expansion, due to be completed in the next six months, is intended to maximise resource efficiency and minimise waste, as well as creating 30 new jobs.
Other plants that are part of ReFood’s Vision 2020 food waste recycling programme are:
Widnes, Cheshire:
Opening this month, the Widnes plant is the largest and gas-to-grid plant and second £20million AD plant to be opened by ReFood. It will recycle 90,000 tonnes of food waste and generate17Nwhs of biogas to power approximately 8,000 homes.
Dagenham, London:
Located over 60 acres of London Sustainable Industries Park (LSIP), ReFood’s Dagenham AD plant is due to go under construction soon and be operational by 2015. Like the Doncaster plant, The new £20 million plant will recycle 160,000 tonnes of food waste and produce 22.7 MWh of electricity as well as 60 new and relocated jobs.
Related Articles: