What happens to Plymouth’s food waste?
It was a great visit to Langage AD recently to see how food waste collected from homes across Plymouth and the South Hams is turned into energy and fertiliser. Food waste collected in West Devon goes through the same process at Langage’s sister plant in Holsworthy.
During the visit, one of Plymouth’s new food waste collection vehicles even arrived, giving me the chance to see the waste being dropped off for processing!
Anaerobic digestion works a bit like a cow’s stomach. Bacteria break down the food waste, producing gas which is used for energy, whilst the material left behind becomes fertiliser for Langage Farm Dairy and other local farms.
The electricity helps power the dairy, creating a simple local cycle from food waste to energy, fertiliser and milk.
Plymouth’s weekly food waste collections are continuing to be rolled out across the city, so a quick reminder:
Leftovers, peelings, tea bags, coffee grounds, meat, fish, bones and dairy can all go in.
Once your supplied liners run out, you can use ordinary plastic bags, such as bread bags, cereal bags or old carrier bags.
Don’t use compostable or biodegradable bags.
Don’t put in liquids, cooking oil or animal waste.
It was also good to hear about the educational visits available for schools, helping young people learn more about farming, food and where our waste goes.
Thank you to Ewan, Gary and everyone at Langage for showing me around!
