Convenient for you, great for the environment
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Food waste accounts for about 20% of all household rubbish. Food scraps that have been through a waste disposer can be used to create biosolids or biogas as part of a holistic waste management approach. When the recycled material is used as a power source, soil conditioner or fertiliser, the cycle begins again!
- Food waste is dealt with hygienically and instantly – rather than it being left in a bin to encourage smells, bacteria and insects
- Less food waste ends up in landfill to contribute to methane and other green house gas emissions
- Less food waste has to be collected and transported to those land fill sites – good news for carbon footprints!
In some areas of the UK, local authorities are paying people to install a sink disposer. And why not? It has been estimated that each food waste disposer could save a local council £19 a year – a figure that could be reflected in cheaper council tax bills.
Discover more here: www.sinkyourwaste.co.uk
Quick Facts:
- Food waste accounts for 20 per cent of your household rubbish
- Local authorities could save around £19 per household if everyone were to use a food waste disposer
- Biogas generated as a result of recycling can be used to produce around 33 units of electricity each year
- Soil conditioner produced as a result of recycling is high in nitrogen, a vital source of nutrients for soil and so ideal for farm land
Case Studies:
Herefordshire and Worcestershire find a waste solution for a rubbish problem
Herefordshire Council and Worcestershire County Council have found a unique solution to reducing the amount of kerbside waste collected in their area - food waste disposers. In an effort to divert household waste away from landfill, both authorities now actively encourage residents to install food waste disposers with cash-back incentives. This has proved highly successful with hundreds of households taking advantage of the Sink Your Waste scheme.
Assessment of Food Disposal options in Multi-unit Dwellings in Sydney
Food Waste Processor (FWP) units are mainly used to dispose of waste generated in the kitchen during the preparation of food. Their use is limited by legislation to domestic and existing hospital use only (in NSW). The highest per capita installation of FWP units appears to be in apartment blocks.
University of Wisconsin Study
In order to develop a factual database relative to the actual merits and concerns for different systems of managing food waste, the National Association of Heating- Plumbing -Cooling Contractors commissioned a University of Wisconsin - Madison, Life Cycle Comparison of five Engineered Systems for Managing Food Waste. The comparison included the required land, total system energy, total system materials, total emissions to the environment and total system costs for each method.
NYC Department of Environmental Protection Study
Since the 1970's, New York City had banned the use of food waste disposers in areas served by combined sewers, due to concerns of the discharge of raw sewage into receiving waters during times of extreme wet weather. However, due to positive reports of the impact of disposer loadings on wastewater treatment facilities and mounting public support, Mayor Guiliani authorized a review of the merits of the ban. Thus, the City Department of Environmental Protection conducted an independent pilot program to study the effects of rescinding the ban in combined sewer areas. The 21-month study was concluded in 1997. Due to the findings that the impact of food waste disposer discharge to the sewer system and wastewater treatment plants was de minimus, the New York City Council elected to rescind the ban. This measure was signed into law by the Mayor, effective October 11, 1997.
Town of Utanobori Study, Japan
Due to concerns about the impact that food waste disposers have on sewage facilities and the environment, the issue of usage has been handled with caution in Japan. For this reason, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, in cooperation with the Hokkaido government, and Town of Utanobori, designated the town as the subject area for a disposer field test, conducted over four years from 2000 through 2003.Due to concerns about the impact that food waste disposers have on sewage facilities and the environment, the issue of usage has been handled with caution in Japan. For this reason, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, in cooperation with the Hokkaido government, and Town of Utanobori, designated the town as the subject area for a disposer field test, conducted over four years from 2000 through 2003.
Delft University Study, Netherlands
As food waste disposers were a relatively new concept in the Netherlands, this study was performed, at the request of the Dutch government, to quantify the impact of food waste loading to the Dutch sewer system. Previously, no research had been documented in the Netherlands, which analyzed the effects on the biological wastewater treatment process from the use of food waste disposers. Dr. ir. J. de Koning and Professor ir. J.H.J.M. van der Graaf from the Section of Sanitary Engineering at the Delft University of Technology conducted the study, which was concluded in July 2004. Conclusions were that the organic loading emanating from food waste disposers present negligible impacts to the sewer system or wastewater treatment facility.
Facts to Consider for the Various Methods of Managing Food Waste
A hierarchy of food waste management policy objectives should include reduction, reuse, and recycling, with disposal to a landfill being the least preferred strategy. Food waste is a reality, even in recognition of the best efforts to reduce or reuse. The next best environmental strategy is to recycle food waste and utilize the energy and nutrient value as a resource, while minimizing detrimental public health effects, fossil fuel consumption, and emissions in the process of recycling. EU waste management future strategy is shaped by a Landfill Directive and a Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection. These legal acts define three main elements: improve the soil quality, increase the recovery of organic waste in contrast to landfilling or incineration, and to improve sewage sludge quality.
The Wisdom of Crowds - Understanding the Environmental Benefits and Footprint of Food Waste Disposers
In today’s world, food waste disposers can now be considered an environmental appliance – much like EnergyStar-rated refrigerators and laundry machines. Acknowledging the “wisdom of crowds,” disposers are now approved for sale in over 80 countries – based on decades of research and widespread use that support the essential role disposers play in diverting food waste from collection trucks, landfills and incinerators.
A Study from the Town of Surahammar
The Swedish authorities have long maintained a restrictive attitude toward food waste disposers. During recent years, several municipalities have shown interest in using waste disposers in their waste disposal systems. Before disposers are installed, it is important to consider the issues surrounding, among other things, the sewage treatment in general, the limitations of the sewage system, and the design of the wastewater treatment plants.
Other useful links:
www.amdea.org
http://www.t2c.org.uk/hints_and_tips.html#eco_ideas