Tax hikes to boost biomass

"What has held us back as an industry is that landfill is so cheap," says waste management firm Biffa's director for external relations Peter Jones. However, with Miliband's letter to chancellor Gordon Brown reportedly calling for landfill prices to be raised from £21/t to £75/t by 2013, rather than £35/t originally envisaged, that's all set to change.

Convenience food firm Greencore, which plans to end its disposals to landfill by 2007, will have even more justification for its green policies. This is music to the ears of the group's environmental manager James Cherry.

Greencore has embarked on projects with environmental consultant Enviros and the Carbon Trust to reduce its 'carbon footprint'. It plans to reduce its emissions of 220,000t/year of carbon dioxide equivalent by 25% by 2010. Among projects to reduce, recycle and re-use waste is one that uses advanced biomass waste-to-fuel technology. But it is also looking at using wind turbines to generate energy at malting sites in the north-east of Scotland.

Cherry, who is conducting pilot biomass projects at three sites, said the original impetus behind seeking alternatives to landfill was the introduction of the Animal By-Products Regulations. However, rising energy prices also played their part. "We have yet to find a way of producing a zero waste facility," he admits. "But we are looking at the way we deal with the waste we have."

Speaking at the Food Processing Faraday Partnership's Excellence in Food Manufacture conference last month, Cherry said that manufacturing contributed most (70%) of Greencore's carbon footprint. This was followed by packaging and ingredients (19%); waste (7.5%); transport (2.5%); and water (1%).

Greencore was the first processor to sign up to the Encycle renewable biomass waste-to-energy project, which will drive combined heat and power plants to generate both electricity and steam. The firm expects to start up the first 500t/day plant in July next year. Project partners include engineering consultancy NEL Power, Inetec, which provides the biomass fuel technology and Graveson Energy Management (GEM), whose gas conversion technology is used. Manufacturer Northern foods is also said to be involved.

The technology enables waste food and packaging to be processed into biomass, which is subsequently converted into a gaseous fuel for generating electricity. Around one-third of the energy generated is used to run the Inetek process, while the remainder is available for sale or use elsewhere, says Cherry.

Initially up to four sites will be established to process waste centrally, although the Encycle partnership has plans for up to 12. However, Cherry says Greencore would like to convert some waste to biofuel locally, for use where it is produced.

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