PRESS RELEASE

25^th July 2008

TEG celebrates the success of its food waste collection service

Composting specialist TEG Environmental is delighted with the uptake of its food waste collection service, launched just four months ago.  As well as a wide variety of commercial organisations a number of local authority services, including schools and markets, have also realised the environmental benefits of composting over traditional food disposal routes.

TEG has been surprised by the wide range of organisations which have joined the scheme.  These include many food supply businesses such as restaurants, food manufacturers and hotels as well as organisations for other sectors, such as the University of Bradford and Yorkshire Building Society. In the public sector a number of schools and markets have also embraced the service.

TEG provides participants with separate wheelie bins to be used exclusively for food waste, which it collects on a designated day for transportation to its state of the art commercial composting plants at Todmorden and Preston.  There, food waste is mixed with green waste before being fed into TEG's award-winning in-vessel silo composting cages. After two or three weeks the compost is offloaded and then marketed for agricultural, horticultural and domestic uses.

TEG decided to launch the service after realising that many commercial food organisations such as restaurants, take-aways and food retailers combine their food waste with their general waste, which then has to go to landfill.  Commercial Director Jayne Pierre said:  "The Landfill Tax escalator means that removing food waste from the general waste bin and sending it for composting is now proving to be a more cost-effective option than landfill for most companies.  Some of our customers, such as Lancashire convenience food manufacturer Kepak, are reporting a saving of £25/tonne."

A further benefit is that other wastes, such as cardboard and plastic, stay clean once the food is dealt with separately and so could have a positive value if recycled. As a result, several of TEG's customers are now close to diverting all of their waste from landfill.

For many public sector organisations the composting option is helping them to reach sustainability targets.  Simon Duarri, Estates Manager of Bradford University, is very pleased with the initial results of the TEG food waste collection scheme and feels that it is helping the university to achieve recognition as an 'Ecoversity'.  "Although it is still early days we feel this helps us to differentiate our approach to best practice in sustainability," he said.

In Halifax, the market is now diverting all organic waste to composting.  TEG's special waste bins have been placed around the market and stallholders segregate their waste food, vegetables and flowers.  TEG's Business Development Manager Jessica Stewart, is responsible for co-ordinating the collection scheme.  "The service was easy to introduce in the market and it has been embraced enthusiastically by the market community," she said.

Any company or organisation in Lancashire or Yorkshire that produces food waste is able to sign up for this specialist service.  For further information please call James Westcott at TEG Environmental on 01772 314100.

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