Anaerobic Digestion gate fees & food waste research

[Martin Bowman]

Hi fellow food waste researchers,

 

Calling all experts in food waste, anaerobic digestion and how the food waste hierarchy can relate to public policy!

 

We are currently conducting research into the feasibility, and likely pros and cons, of introducing a minimum “floor” price for the gate fees anaerobic digestion plants charge for waste collection – and we are conducting interviews/experts on the topic. If you have expertise in this area, we’d love to hear from you – we can either conduct a full interview if you feel you have lots to say (we’re conducting these over the next 1-3 weeks), or otherwise we welcome any relevant material you’d like to share with us. See more info below:

 

Building on a recent report and LCA we conducted in collaboration with Dr Styles at Bangor University, Feedback have developed a policy solution to ensure anaerobic digestion remains within its sustainable niche. This solution is to set a minimum “floor” price on the gate fees which AD plants charge for food waste collection – with the idea that this both incentivises food waste prevention through raising waste disposal costs, whilst generating long-term stable income for AD plants (in a manner which might reduce the need for subsidies). The rationale behind this is that our work has found that food waste prevention results in significantly greater emissions/land use savings than sending wastes to AD – so we want to ensure AD supports rather than undermines these efforts – as it might do if it lowered waste disposal costs. This policy would need to occur in the context where mandatory separate food waste collections prevent food waste going to incineration or landfill. We are also researching the potential to extend this idea to manure/slurries.

 

Please do feel free to reach out with any questions, and happy to share more info.

 

All the best,

Martin

 

For food that nourishes the planet.   Martin Bowman Senior Policy and Campaigns Manager T: +44 (0) 2030518633  M: +44 (0) 7816088210  http://feedbackglobal.org/ Please note I work part-time. My usual days in the office are Tuesday to Thursday.

 

Follow us: 

Feedback enables the regeneration of nature by reducing the demands placed on it by the food system. To do this, we challenge power, catalyse action and empower people to achieve positive change.

Donate to help build a better food system.

Join our mailing list.

Registered Charity No: 1155064

 

[Charlotte Spring]

Hey M,

I did some interesting interviews with a social enterprise called Fairfield Composting on New Smithfield Market during my thesis days, at a moment when a new AD plant was in the planning works- it was an interesting example of the nexus of redistribution (Fareshre is also based on NSM and used Fairfield as both source of fresh food and waste disposal option), composting and AD- a nearby AD plant was the only option when waste levels got so high that Fairfield lacked the labour power to sort food for composting/animal feed, and the gate fees was an interesting factor in nuancing their use of that solution. It was at a moment when peter Melchett was staunchly opposed to AD and did some campaigning through the soil association (evidence of which is now scant)- I watched him square up to Charlotte Morton of the AD association at a closed meeting and he was accusing them of being actually generating waste in form of maize as biofuel- didn’t go down well!! Really good to see you doing this campaign-if helpful to dig through any old material I could try! Xxx

Sent from my phone

On 29 Sep 2021, at 16:07, Martin Bowman <Mar...@feedbackglobal.org> wrote:



Hi fellow food waste researchers,

 

Calling all experts in food waste, anaerobic digestion and how the food waste hierarchy can relate to public policy!

 

We are currently conducting research into the feasibility, and likely pros and cons, of introducing a minimum “floor” price for the gate fees anaerobic digestion plants charge for waste collection – and we are conducting interviews/experts on the topic. If you have expertise in this area, we’d love to hear from you – we can either conduct a full interview if you feel you have lots to say (we’re conducting these over the next 1-3 weeks), or otherwise we welcome any relevant material you’d like to share with us. See more info below:

 

Building on a recent report and LCA we conducted in collaboration with Dr Styles at Bangor University, Feedback have developed a policy solution to ensure anaerobic digestion remains within its sustainable niche. This solution is to set a minimum “floor” price on the gate fees which AD plants charge for food waste collection – with the idea that this both incentivises food waste prevention through raising waste disposal costs, whilst generating long-term stable income for AD plants (in a manner which might reduce the need for subsidies). The rationale behind this is that our work has found that food waste prevention results in significantly greater emissions/land use savings than sending wastes to AD – so we want to ensure AD supports rather than undermines these efforts – as it might do if it lowered waste disposal costs. This policy would need to occur in the context where mandatory separate food waste collections prevent food waste going to incineration or landfill. We are also researching the potential to extend this idea to manure/slurries.

 

Please do feel free to reach out with any questions, and happy to share more info.

 

All the best,

Martin

 

<image001.png>

For food that nourishes the planet.   Martin Bowman Senior Policy and Campaigns Manager T: +44 (0) 2030518633  M: +44 (0) 7816088210  http://feedbackglobal.org/ Please note I work part-time. My usual days in the office are Tuesday to Thursday.

 

Follow us: 

<image002.jpg>

<image003.jpg>

Feedback enables the regeneration of nature by reducing the demands placed on it by the food system. To do this, we challenge power, catalyse action and empower people to achieve positive change.

Donate to help build a better food system.

Join our mailing list.

Registered Charity No: 1155064

 

--
foodwastestudies.com
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "International Food Loss and Food Waste Studies Group" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to foodwastestudi...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/foodwastestudies/AM9P190MB153823C7EA847B801C5D3620A1A99%40AM9P190MB1538.EURP190.PROD.OUTLOOK.COM.

[Debbie Ellen]

Hi

To add to Charlie's response, New Smithfield market (NSM) in Manchester is/was a very particular case. The fruit&veg companies based at nsm don't pay  per throw for their waste. Instead it is included in the service charge (very high).This is one reason the volumes of food waste on nsm are so high. 

The AD plant didn't go ahead thankfully as my view was the food waste being saved and redistributed via Fareshare would have declined (quicker/easier to feed the AD beast). Before the AD idea, Fareshare/EMERGE had lobbied the council (via manchester markets), who run nsm to adopt a pay per throw model, as used at smithfield in london, but they wouldn't budge. There was a perception that tenants wouldn't stay if the status quo was changed.

I've not been involved recently so don't know if anything has changed. 

Debbie Ellen 

To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/foodwastestudies/6EDCE9C8-FFBF-4EF8-B992-B345E4516E19%40googlemail.com.