27Feb

Yorkshire pioneers large scale food waste scheme

Posted on 27th February, 2009

It is estimated that 3.6m tons of food is thrown away every year in the UK, the majority of this ends up in landfill. This puts an unnecessary strain on landfill when food waste could be sent to composting facilities or to anaerobic digestion units to create clean energy. Some councils have undertaken doorstep collection schemes for food waste, but up until now there has been nothing on an industrial scale.

In September last year Angelheart Inc, based in Doncaster, launched the Grott box (patent pending), a compostable caddy for food waste. The system has been undergoing extensive trials in schools and hotels across Yorkshire since.

The container is a cardboard box which features a biodegradable wax layer on the inside making it waterproof from the inside out. The box has a 25 litre capacity and comes with a snug-fitting lid to ensure that any mess or odour is contained within. More importantly, the whole box can be composted once full.
So far the trials have been a huge success, and, several waste management companies have shown an interest in the system.