14 DAY TRIAL // Our wasteful society encourages us to waste more than we actually consume. Wetherspoon's pubs are trying to tackle this issue, by launching an innovative trial meant to turn leftovers into valuable energy.
The chain will make sure 28 of its popular pubs will contribute, by diverting from landfills approximately eight tons of food waste every single week. The products will be delivered to the Poplars power plant, located in Staffordshire, one of the most important anaerobic digestion facilities in the country, BusinessGreen reports.
Representatives involved in this project are saying the main goal is to minimize the ecological footprint of food. People often purchase imported food, traveling by plane or large vehicles, with a significant impact on air quality.
Its presence in supermarkets involves a considerable amount of greenhouse gas emissions that lower air quality. At this point in time, the company can't say for sure whether or not their eco-friendly strategy is designed to provide long-term answers.
What is certain is that the power plant is operated by Biffa, a company that is already taking care of the glass recycling projects supported by the chain of pubs. Their new partnership aims to transform food waste into a significant source of profit, while also reducing its environmental impact.
Wetherspoon's pubs have already confirmed their position as eco-conscious players, since they started engaging efforts in recycling operations for paper, glass and cans.
They rely on energy-efficient equipment and plan to use the same lorries that currently deliver their products to carry items destined for recycling processes, in order to continue curbing the amount of greenhouse gas emissions.
"It's the right thing to do and, as landfill tax costs continue to rise it makes good business sense; it will increasingly be the cheapest thing to do with food waste. In fact collection contracts such as this are set to be the most economical way for businesses of all sizes to deal with food and general waste," declared Bob Barltrop, from Biffa.