Binn Group and Earnside Energy have come together to offer the only integrated food waste collection and treatment solution across Scotland – Food Waste Scotland.
Food Waste Scotland is a strong collaborative team, formed by two successful Perth based businesses. The businesses are focused on recycling waste; minimising disposal to landfill and reusing valuable resources.
Both Binn Group and Earnside Energy operate from Binn EcoPark, just outside Perth. Binn Group has invested in a number of new trade waste collection vehicles enlarging our existing fleet while Earnside Energy has recently completed an expansion of their existing Aneorobic Digestion (AD) facility, doubling the volume of waste food that can be processed compliantly to 30,000t per annum.
The Food Waste Scotland campaign is designed to reach out across Scotland offering any business producing waste food with a cost-effective and compliant solution. Since 2016 it has been a legal requirement for all businesses generating more than 5kg of waste food to segregate this from other waste streams and to ensure it is collected separately. AD is the process at the heart of this approach. The compost produced provides an ecological, nitrogen-rich, chemical-free alternative to synthetic fertilisers in agriculture.
Mick Fishwick, Director at Earnside Energy said “We operate one of the best AD plants in the UK and have invested significantly to increase capacity to be able to offer a much-needed service in Scotland. We have worked successfully for many years with Binn Group and we are excited to launch this new venture together.”
So how does it work?
AD uses natural biological processes to break down food waste into methane and carbon dioxide gases. The methane is used as a fuel to generate heat and electricity. The heat is used as part of the AD process, and the power is exported for use in homes and businesses. AD also generates large volumes of liquid which is stored in tanks on site. This liquor is then used by local farmers as a fertiliser. This means AD has twin carbon benefits; reducing reliance on fossil fuels and avoiding the use of synthetic fertilisers in our agricultural industry.
The teams at Binn Group and Earnside Energy are completely committed to this venture. Binn Group MD Brian Harkins says: “Earnside Energy’s investment in additional AD capacity is a testament to the long-term vision for Binn EcoPark. We have increased our collection capacity and the Food Waste Scotland campaign is helping to focus customers on our unique integrated food waste collection and treatment solution.”