Eat Up Your Greens - Or Make Electricity Instead

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Pupils from four Ealing Primary schools have been watching their lunchtime leftovers being transformed into green electricity.

For once, not eating their cabbage sent these youngsters to the top of the class at Hobbayne, Oaklands, Mayfield and Greenwood Schools.

The children have been visiting a recycling plant in Northamptonshire where they watched as their waste food was processed to be used for electricity.

The company, BiogenGreenfinch, recycles all of Ealing Council’s food waste, collected from 95,000 doorsteps in the borough. Children from participating schools in the borough were invited to see the plant for themselves and to visit the arable and pig farming operations at sister company Bedfordia Farms.

The 15 children and their equally enthused teachers were treated to a tour of BiogenGreenfinch’s newest plant at Westwood in Northamptonshire where 45,000 tonnes of food waste is processed each year to produce enough electricity to power nearly 3,000 homes.

The same amount of food waste will also produce 35,000 tonnes of a rich biofertiliser which is spread onto 1,750 acres of growing crop, with nothing going to waste.

Councillor Sue Emment, Cabinet Member for Environment and Street Services at Ealing Council, said:

“In just a few months we have collected 17 tonnes of food waste and we are about to extend the service to another 20 schools. This is a great way to get more young people involved in recycling and the schools have been very enthusiatic about taking part.”

Phil Greenaway, National Local Authority Manager at BiogenGreenfinch said:

“It’s good for children to see that recycling doesn’t have to stop at paper, glass and cans. Food waste can be a source of renewable energy and this is something that will become increasingly important to future generations.”

The UK produces seven million tonnes of domestic food waste a year, 600,000 tonnes of this is from London alone.

BiogenGreenfinch works in partnership with Ealing, Hounslow, Richmond, Surrey and Islington Councils.

 

 

 

March 20th, 2010