Food Waste Recycling (UK)

We provide food waste recycling for businesses all across the United Kingdom at an affordable and fixed price. We’re experts in what we do with over 11 years of experience collecting food from commercial sites. Get a quote from us today.

A sustainable way to process your business’ waste food

In a world where we are increasingly looking at how much we use and how we use it, food waste recycling is one of the most accessible and efficient ways we can make our lives more sustainable.

A 2021 UN report showed that the UK as a whole produces around 5.2 million tonnes of food waste each year.

Worldwide, if food waste was a state, it would be the third-largest emitter of climate-change-driving emissions. It’s obvious to say that waste is a problem, and food recycling is a large part of the solution.

For private households, there is a growing awareness of this scale of waste. There are initiatives springing up everywhere, from schemes that facilitate the collection of still good-to-eat food waste recycling, to apps, to the gradual movement away from a dogmatic approach to best-before dates.

But, for business, the situation can sometimes be more complex. 

Making your business wise to the benefits of food waste recycling doesn’t have to be a drain on your time or energy.

Here, we’ll walk you through how recycling food waste can be part of your current business waste disposal system, including what can be recycled, the specifics of how to handle expired or unwanted food products, and a rundown of what actually happens to that recycled food waste once it is picked up.

Which businesses need a food waste recycling service?

Typically restaurants, bars, pubs, hotels, butchers and takeaways need a food waste recycling service. But larger offices (especially those with kitchens) will likely need one too.

Unless you run a bar or restaurant, you might not have thought about food recycling as really being a necessary part of your business, but waste food can involve anything from that banana peel left after the mid-morning snack, to the waste products from industrial food production, to the teabags that get you all through the day.

More than this, there are a series of regulations that apply to how commercial operations can recycle commercial food waste.

At the moment, businesses are only asked that their food waste recycling is securely and safely stored.

This is to prevent cross-contamination from pests as rodents may enter the bin or insects can even lay eggs in the unit leading to an infestation which creates a bunch of other issues.

Soon though, as of 2023, there is the possibility that there will be a legal requirement that mandates the use of food waste recycling.

This is why there has never been a better time to look at your business operating practices and introduce simple, easy measures that mean that you are sustainably and legally secure in your food bin policy.

Which bins will I need?

Typically for the food waste collections near me service, you’ll need a 120 or 240 litre 2-wheeler wheelie bin. If you’re a larger restaurant, pub, or hotel you may need to consider a 660 or 1100 litre 4-wheeler but we find that often a smaller one will do.

Regardless of whichever size you choose or are recommended you’ll need to clearly label your food waste recycling bin so that your employees won’t end up chucking away recyclable food into the general waste bin.

How to recycle food waste

The commercial food waste recycling near me service works in slightly different ways from how you might practice it at home.

There, if you have a garden, you might compost things like banana skins or potato peels, and your council might even allow the collection of a food waste recycling bin, but these situations do not apply all over the UK.

Often, councils will have stringent guidelines about what kind of waste food can and cannot be recycled.

You might be able to fill your bins with carrot tops and potato peels until they’re nearly overflowing, but animal products, such as meat and dairy, or many cooked foods, need specific, special treatment, and could be turned away.

Commercial business waste collection sidesteps these complications, as these services have access to a wider range of processing facilities that can treat each kind of food refuse in the correct way.

A step as simple as bringing waste food bins into the office kitchen and arranging a collection can be all it takes to massively reduce the waste footprint of the workplace, meaning that all the waste that would otherwise go to a landfill site can be professionally taken away and treated.

What happens to your food waste?

Okay. So you’ve organised a food waste recycling near me service to come and collect the apple cores, tea bags and everyday detritus of working life. What happens to it all?

The principal method of recycling commercial waste is currently anaerobic digestion.

At its simplest, this is a process of recycling that starts with all of the waste being sorted through and shredded, before allowing microorganisms to steadily break down the organic matter within a solid, concrete chamber.

This breaking down continues for up to and over two months, as the natural biodegradation of the matter continues.

This process creates two products. The first is methane.

This gas, which, if the food recycling material were instead sent to landfill, would just be helping fuel the greenhouse effect, is instead captured in this enclosed space and used as a biofuel. This means those apple cores and tea bags directly fuel the nation.

The other is a dense, rich substance that is an energy-packed tool for land regeneration and has multiple uses as a fertiliser. These two products form the core of the appeal of recycling any food waste.

Your business’ food doesn’t just go to a landfill somewhere, it has valuable, practical uses.

There are many food waste treatment faciclities throughout the Uk that use processes to convert the material into energy.

What are the key benefits of recycling discarded food?

At its simplest, increasing your food waste and recycling near me as a service will always be a good, sustainable business practice in England, Wales & Scotland.

It minimises demand on already-spread food chains and makes them more sustainable, and it helps your business and your staff minimise costs through greater efficiency.

Recycling provides valuable, crucial byproducts that help the country fuel itself and its agriculture.

More than this, a professionally ran commercial food waste recycling near me service helps your business steer clear of the legal complications that arise and gives you the confidence that you are doing your bit to make business and food sustainable in the UK.

Food recycling will be key to how commercial operations function sustainably in the future, the best time to become involved with it is now.

How can WasteManaged help (UK)?

We have recycled food waste for thousands of businesses in England, Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland and have over 11 years of experience doing so. We know exactly what needs to be done and how to do it efficiently and at an affordable price.

We offer our services to sites based in London, Leeds, Birmingham, Glasgow, Cumbria, Huddersfield and more. No matter where you are in the UK we can find a supplier to reach your site.

Fill out our quick and easy quote form to get started. Our team will then be in contact to fully understand your needs and ensure you get set up with a service you love if you’re happy with the quote.

Alternatively, you can call us directly: 03333 44 54 77