SMART project to save local hospitality businesses up to £6,000 a year while tackling climate change
Up to 27 businesses in Surbiton will be taking part in a pilot project which will help them cut their business costs and greenhouse gas emissions related to food waste.
Food waste in the hospitality sector has a significant financial and environmental impact, which is why the council, Kingston Green Business Community, local manufacturing design company JNDC and Limetrack have teamed up to help tackle it.
It is estimated that a typical hospitality sector business could save around £6,000 a year by reducing their food waste and that hundreds of kilograms of emissions could also be avoided.
Using specially designed bins with sensor and Internet of Things technology, the project will enable businesses to easily measure, track and reduce their avoidable food waste while providing a dedicated collection service where it will be processed to generate renewable energy and organic fertiliser.
As an example, six used tea bags could provide enough energy to boil the water for your next cup of tea if processed at a special facility called an anaerobic digestion plant. If the same six teabags went to landfill, the emissions produced would be equivalent to driving over 1 km in a small car.
Currently, cafes, pubs and restaurants pay private companies to collect and dispose of their food waste, the majority of which is mixed in with other, general commercial waste. This is over twice as expensive to dispose of compared to food waste on its own.
Not only will large financial savings be made, but the project will also help to tackle climate change by ensuring commercial food waste doesn’t end up in landfill where it decomposes and releases a powerful greenhouse gas called methane.
Councillor John Sweeney, Portfolio Holder for Business, Recycling & Customer Care said:
Everybody has a role to play in tackling climate change by reducing carbon emissions. The council can help people and businesses do the right thing by supporting and implementing a scheme like this.
It’s great to see how using technology can help save businesses money while helping to limit their impact on the environment. I look forward to seeing the results in the future!
Andy King, CEO of Limetrack said:
Profit and Planet - It’s not a case of choosing one or the other. When it comes to food waste, by using Limetrack’s SMART wheelie bin, you can have both!
A big thank you to Kingston Council and the hospitality businesses of Surbiton, who have been fantastic in getting the project off the ground. The project is being championed by a number of local businesses including Alcheme Wellbeing.
Jesse Van Vuuren Jansen, Manager of Alcheme Wellbeing said:
Alcheme wellbeing is a business that cares about the environment and the health and wellbeing of our community, and we are proud to support the Smart Food Waste Management project in Surbiton and the surrounding areas.
This project will help hospitality based businesses like ours control our food waste and save money, all while promoting environmental sustainability. Fortunately, Limetrack does most of the work for us!
The results from the pilot will be analysed by Kingston University and if successful could be expanded to more hospitality businesses in and around Kingston.
Food waste from homes in Kingston is already collected and sent to an anaerobic digestion plant where it is used to help generate electricity that is fed into the national grid. If you’d like help reducing the amount of food that goes to waste at home, take a look at lovefoodhatewaste.com.
Notes to Editors
This initiative was sponsored by the www.innovateproject.org programme, funded by GLA and delivered on behalf of the South London Partnership.