Food Waste to Electricity in Devon

12,000 homes in the Axe valley area of Devon, are recycling their kitchen waste, through weekly collections, the collected material is then used to produce a gas, by mixing them with animal slurry, which is then used to generate electricity for the National Grid. The scheme is part of East Devon Council's aim to recycle 50% of all waste by 2010. Towns taking place in the scheme are Axminster, Beer, Colyton, Musbury, Seaton and Uplyme. Other areas in councils remit will be included in 2009.

The waste is collected on a weekly basis, residents simply place any food waste, with the exception of liquids into special containers provided by the council. It is then taken to a biogas plant at Holsworthy. There through a process of anaerobic digestion, a gas is produced, which is then burned to create electricity.

"The waste food will be mixed with animal slurry. The bacteria in the mixture will then heat itself to 70C and it will go through a digestion process, producing gas."
Paul Deakin, Waste Manager, East Devon District Council

Whilst there is no certainty in the amount of waste that will be collected, the resulting reduction of biodegradable waste going to landfill will not only help the environment, but also reduce the ever increasing landfill fees, however these will most likely be offset through the collection. In the long-term it is likely other council areas will implement similar schemes across the country, as the fees on each tonne of waste landfilled is rising by approximately £8 per year. But one other exciting bit of news released this week is that over one-third of homes in England are composting waste.

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