The construction industry is the biggest consumer of material resources in the UK; approximately 420 million tonnes of material is used each year. This translates into over 90 million tonnes of construction and demolition waste, made up mostly of aggregates, wood and plastic. But what about the food waste generated by a hungry workforce excavating, constructing and handing over a new build site? When did you last consider food waste as a part of your site waste management plan?

Resource efficiency is the name of the game when it comes to SWMP’s.We already have an awareness of the cost and environmental benefits of recycling, excavation or demolition material and using it in the construction phase of a project. It is all well and good setting up and adhering to a strong SWMP and having separate collection points for plastics, wood, aggregates etc., but if the food waste generated on-site is still disposed of in the general waste bin, it will more than likely end up in a landfill site. And therein lies the problem.

SMWP’s and resource efficiency targets aim to reduce wastage of new materials bought onto site, increase the amount of recycled material used in a project and reduce the amount of carbon emissions that are contributing to climate change. Food waste sent to landfill in the general waste stream is more harmful to the global environment than these CO2 emissions. Rotting food in a landfill site produces methane. This climate change gas is 20 times more damaging to the global environment than CO2, but there seems to be a lack of provision for the recycling of food waste within a lot of SWMP’s. If you’re reducing waste and calculating the carbon footprint of a project do you take into account the methane emissions of landfilled food waste?

Food waste is one of the country’s most under-valued resources. In its raw state it is smelly, attracts vermin and insects and creates a haven for bacteria and disease. This is changing. The advent of newer technologies has seen food waste rise up through the political and environmental agendas rapidly over the last few years. If dealt with properly and with a little thought, food waste recycled on-site can generate some of the compost usually required during the final landscaping phase of a construction project. This means less compost to be brought in by the landscaping team, saving money and increasing resource efficiency – all from the half-eaten burgers and chips, sandwiches and biscuits necessary to keep the construction workforce hard at it.

MISSING A TRICK?

The Government’s Building Schools for the Future programme, places a huge amount of emphasis on resource efficiency during the build phase and energy efficiency during the operational phase. This is a  wonderful approach to reduce wastage and CO2 emissions throughout a project and for the future operation of a site, but there doesn’t seem to be any consideration given to the methane emissions produced by food waste
landfilled in the general waste stream during both construction and operation. Something is being missed somewhere along the way. Setting up a food waste recycling scheme during construction that can continue after
the hand-over period, could significantly reduce the UK’s contribution to climate change emissions.There are machines available to do this which use proven technologies, are simple to operate and require very little
energy to run. Of course, if the energy produced to run the machine comes from a carbon neutral resource, then CO2 and methane emissions could be virtually eradicated.

Food waste can be easily converted into compost in around fourteen days. A sealed invessel system makes the process vermin, bird and insect proof and provides a truly sustainable closed loop recycling system when the resulting compost is used for landscaping on a project. Food waste from the ubiquitous “butty van” on a construction site and from kitchen scraps and plate scrapings during the operational phase of a new build become the very thing landscapers love when getting down to “pretty-ing up” a site after construction and for on-going landscape maintenance.

It seems to make so much sense in the grand scheme of resource efficiency, that one of the most environmentally damaging waste streams becomes one of the prized materials for the final stages of a project and beyond. So, when you’re next coming up with a site waste management plan, whether for housing, offices or a school of the future, will you consider the quantities of food waste generated and the options available to recycle this waste stream efficiently and sustainably?

Accelerated Compost Ltd
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