Food waste in the UK is a constant concern as the country produces more than 9.5 million tonnes of it every year. The food and drink waste hierarchy advises businesses to prevent excess food and redistribute surplus food first before disposing of it. Understanding what happens to food waste highlights the importance of reducing it.
Businesses should segregate waste food from other materials with separate bins and collections to ensure it’s disposed of responsibly and diverted away from landfill. This is even more important with new food waste legislation making food waste separation a legal requirement for all businesses in England by April 2027.
Food is an organic material that contains useful energy even when it becomes inedible. Recycling waste food is vital, so it doesn’t end up in landfill to protect the environment. Find out what happens to food waste in the UK after it leaves your business or home.
How is food waste recycled?
There are various methods to recycle food waste. The food and drink waste hierarchy states that after reducing and redistributing excess food it should be donated to use as animal feed where possible. To recycle waste food it will be transported to specialist facilities that generate value from the waste in different ways.
These are the main ways that food waste is recycled:
- Composting – lots of food waste goes to industrial composting facilities. There are various recycling methods but one of the most common for food is windrow composting. Food and organic waste are piled in long rows (four to eight feet high) that are turned regularly. Air, heat, and moisture are checked as microbes break it down in around four months.
- In-vessel composting – this type of composting mixes food and garden waste. It’s all shredded, combined, and placed in an enclosed system for two to four weeks that reaches temperatures up to 70°C. This speeds up the process and it’s then moved outside to mature for one to three months.
- Anaerobic digestion – waste food can be recycled at anaerobic digestion (AD) plants. Here food is placed into sealed vessels (reactors) where there’s a lack of oxygen. Bacteria break down the food waste, which produces biogas comprised mainly of methane. This rises to the top and is captured and used to generate energy, while the solid content falls and is extracted to create fertiliser.
- Incineration for energy – some food may go to energy from waste facilities. Here it’s burned to create heat that’s converted into energy (such as electricity). However, food waste can contain up to 70% water, which makes incineration less efficient than composting or anaerobic digestion.
What happens to recycled food waste?
Recycled food waste is converted into energy, fertiliser, or fuel through composting, anaerobic digestion, and energy from waste processes. What happens to it depends on the specific facility where it’s sent after collection from your business or home and the recycling process it goes through.
Recycled food waste becomes:
- Energy – biogas captured from anaerobic digestion is used to produce renewable energy, such as electricity. Any food waste recycled at energy from waste plants is incinerated to create energy as well. From either source, this is used locally or sent to the national grid.
- Fertiliser – composted food waste turns into a natural fertiliser used by farmers and agricultural professionals to grow new crops, rejuvenate topsoil, and for other green initiatives. Leftover pulp from anaerobic digestion also forms a nutrient-rich digestate that’s used as a fertiliser.
- Biofuel – certain types of food waste can be recycled and converted into biodiesel, which is used to fuel vehicles and machinery. Cooking oils and animal fats can be cleaned, processed, and combined with refined petroleum products to form a fuel used by vehicles that run on traditional diesel.
What happens to food waste
collected by councils?
What happens to food waste collected by councils in the UK depends on where you live, the nearby food waste processing plants, and the policies of your local authority. Many UK councils will take the food waste they collect to anaerobic digestion plants, in-vessel composting facilities (IVC), or energy from waste plants.
Some councils may take food waste collected from households to incineration facilities, but most will avoid adding waste food to landfill. Check with your local council to see where they take food waste and how it’s processed.
What happens to supermarket
food waste?
Supermarkets in the UK generate around 240,000 tonnes of food waste every year. That’s equivalent to about 190 million meals. Unfortunately, lots of waste food from supermarkets ends up in landfill. There’s been a greater focus on reducing it and managing food waste more sustainably across the retail sector in recent years though.
What happens to supermarket food waste depends on the specific store and brand. Aside from landfill, many supermarkets send food waste that’s edible to food banks and some local charities. Lots of other food becomes animal feed or is sent to composting, anaerobic digestion, or incineration facilities.
Arrange food waste collection
from your business
At Divert we’re here to help your business save money and the environment with our food waste collection services. We provide free bins to store your waste food – you only pay for collection. Daily, weekly, and fortnightly collections are available to suit your needs.
Simply let us know what sizes and number of bins you need, where your business is based, and how often you want them collected. Then we can provide a free bespoke quote and get started. Speak to one of our friendly team if you have any questions.
All food waste is diverted away from landfill, as our name suggests, for a sustainable choice. Regular and reliable removals make managing your food waste easy. Get a free no-obligation quote for commercial food waste collection from your business today – call 0333 444 0118 or contact us online.
