LAWR

ANAEROBIC DIGESTION The green, green biogas of home In 2013, food waste operator Biogen signed a contract with Welsh council Gwynedd to provide it with Wales' first purpose-built anaerobic digestion (AD) facility. Now up and running, the GwryiAD plant is making a valuable contribution to sustainable waste dis- posal and renewable energy supply in Wales. Liz Gyekye finds out more. he GwyriAD plant has been operational since October 2013 but was officially opened on April 2014 by the First Minster of Wales Carwyn Jones in Llwyn Isaf, near Caernarfon. The Biogen-constructed plant processes food waste collected from local homes and businesses by the council, divert- ing it from landfill to produce renew- able energy and valuable biofertiliser for local farmland. The Welsh Government provided almost £2.4m in initial funding to sup- port the project. At the time of signing the con- tract, Biogen made a forecast to pro- cess 11,000 tonnes of food waste per year and produce enough electricity to power 700 homes annually. Biogen's prediction was close. In the first 12 months of operations, a total of approx- imately 10,000 tonnes of food waste had been processed through the facili- ty. This equates to a significant carbon saving if the equivalent amount of food waste had been landfilled. There is no shortage of supply of food waste going to the plant. This is helped by the Welsh Government's policy of collecting food waste sepa- rately from households. A total of 80% of households in Wales can now see how much food they throw away, according to the Welsh Government. 'Towards Zero Waste' All 22 Welsh councils provide the ser- vice to at least some of their residents, and the number of households covered continues to grow. Food waste is a priority in Wales' waste strategy called Towards Zero Waste. Hence, it is unsurprising that Gwynedd Council Cabinet Member for Environment Councillor Gareth Roberts says that the Council has had "minimal problems" with feedstock which has been "fairly consistent". However, the Council does face the challenge of householder participation. Roberts says: "The main challenges are to engage and encourage the general public/commercial premises to utilise and participate in the weekly food waste collection service provided by the Council rather than disposing of food waste in the residual waste bin." PAS110 accreditation Nevertheless, the Gwyri AD plant is producing nutrient rich biofertiliser as a by-product. In fact, just seven months after the plant officially opened, it became the first in Wales to achieve PAS110 accreditation certifica- tion. This means that the biofertiliser derived from the AD process is of con- sistent quality and fit for purpose. Roberts says: "The liquid fertiliser utilised on nearby farmland meaning that farmers have access to a fertiliser high in nitrogen, phosphate, potash and other trace elements essential for crop growth. In addition, use of the biofertiliser means less reliance on fossil-fuel-derived fertilisers thus bringing environmental benefits and cost savings." Roberts maintains that the opportu- nity for Gwynedd Council to work in partnership with Biogen and the Welsh Government has been essential to the success of the project. "All parties involved were clear from the outset that the aim was to deliver a sustaina- ble project , a green energy plant which would recycle food waste and help Gwynedd Council to meet its landfill diversion and recycling targets," says Roberts. All stakeholders involved in the plant hope to continue working togeth- er to help increase participation to ensure additional feedstock of food waste to utilise the plant's full capac- ity and to promote the benefits of the AD plant in the community. Roberts says: "The intention is to host school visits this year to support and help promote Gwynedd Council's recycling message. The GwyriAD plant is also working towards achieving ISO 9000, 14001 and 18001 this year." 16 Local Authority Waste & Recycling January 2015 T The GwryiAD plant can produce enough electricity to power 700 homes

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