Despite the fact that we are being encouraged to 'trim our waste' the reality is that many tonnes of waste food will find its way to landfill sites across the country, with latest statistics indicating that nearly a third of the food we buy ends up in the bin.

However, there is an alternative.

The advent of green technology means that a practice that is actually centuries old, is now being harnessed to recycle the food waste that currently ends up in landfill sites. Gardeners have for decades composted their own garden and kitchen waste to provide valuable soil nutrients.  Now, through modern day technology, those methods can be used on an industrial scale to dispose of many organic wastes in a responsible and environmental process that actually delivers a safe and positive end product.

Forward thinking local authorities have already been putting such technology to the test, with very promising results. In Lancashire the County Council has been working in partnership with Preston City Council on a food waste collection trial involving around 8,000 homes.  That waste is sent to market leading green technology company, TEG Environmental, which process the waste at their plant on the outskirts of Preston. Sue Procter, Waste Management Group Head, commented: "This partnership has enabled Lancashire to be ahead of the game with food waste collections, learning some valuable lessens ahead of our PFI contract."

The unique design of TEG's Silo Cage system enables the waste to be composted over 10 to 14 days in a completely natural process. The end product offers a safe, nutrient-rich, organic source to soils and local farmers are already seeing the benefits of using such compost on their crops.

In Lancashire, local farmers have seen significant results in terms of crop health and yield. Compost from TEG's Preston plant was used as the sole fertiliser on a maize crop during the 2007 growing season. A yield of 22 tonnes of maize per acre was achieved using TEG compost, compared with an average yield of seven tonnes per acre in the surrounding area.

"For the local authority this trial has been an outstanding success," said David Stowe, Food Waste Recycling Project Officer for Preston City Council. "In a postal survey of residents, 91% like the scheme and 67% rate it as excellent.

"Each house has a seven litre kitchen caddy, a supply of corn starch liner bags and a 25 litre outside container, together with instructions on what waste could be accepted. We collect their food waste every week for processing into compost.  Participating householders have embraced the scheme wholeheartedly and we have has a lot of support for the scheme."

This ground-breaking recycling initiative was initially funded through Lancashire Environment Fund with contributions from Defra and is now funded by WRAP, the Waste and Resources Action Programme.  Current funding is due to run out at the end of March but residents using the scheme rate it very highly and the trial is going to extend and possibly even expand in future.

For TEG, the initiative has provided the opportunity to prove the efficacy of its technology in solving food waste issues. The company now has five plants in operation throughout the UK, in Perthshire, Lancashire, Yorkshire, Norfolk and South Wales, with more in the pipeline for 2008.

"With LATS (Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme) compliance now beginning to bite, local authorities are increasingly looking for ways to manage their biodegradable waste," said TEG's Commercial Director, Jayne Pierre.  "The TEG solution offers a win:win situation for the local community.  Organic waste is processed naturally and the end produce provides a beneficial nutrient to the soil, which in turn helps increase crop yields and hopefully will result in more cost-effective food production."