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Sainsbury’s vision is to send no waste to landfill, and they are aiming to re-process all food and non-food waste by the end of 2010. |
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Background
Sainsbury’s is one of the largest retailers in the UK and as such, they have a responsibility to ensure that they work towards minimising the impact of their business on the environment. One of the key areas in which they can really make a difference in this respect is by changing the way they deal with food waste.
They currently generate around 56,000 tonnes of food waste every year, and historically, this has ended up in landfill. However, thanks to an initiative they started last year that waste will soon be used to generate electricity that can (indirectly) power their stores, as well as producing fertiliser to help maintain the crops that ultimately end up on their shelves.
Last Summer they embarked on plans to create a ‘zero food waste to landfill network’ through which food waste would be collected at store and sent back to depots, before being sent to specialist waste to energy processors to be turned into energy.
When the network is fully operational, it could generate energy equal to 30 megawatts – enough to power a town of 20,000 people.
All 500 of their supermarkets will be connected to this network by end of 2009 and their convenience stores will follow in 2010.
Ultimately, it is Sainsbury’s vision to send no waste to landfill whatsoever and they are aiming to re-process all food and non-food waste by the end of 2010.
How the issue was tackled
Sainsbury’s has developed a clear hierarchy in the treatment of their waste – reduce, reuse, recycle. Their primary aim is to reduce the amount of waste they produce in the first place, through efficient stock control management. They have devised accurate ordering systems to ensure that stores do not over-order and colleagues undergo extensive training in how to minimise the amount of food that is thrown away.
Food that is taken off the shelves is re-used where possible, as they donate it to charities for distribution in local communities. Food that has passed its use by date is not fit for this purpose, so is given to animal shelters where available and appropriate.
The food waste that is left over amounts to 56,000 tonnes and it is this waste that they are aiming to put to better use.
Since autumn 2008, the food waste from 38 of their supermarkets and their Northampton depot have been sent for anaerobic digestion, where it is broken down into fertiliser and methane gas, which is then used to generate electricity. Following the success of this trial, their zero food waste to landfill programme is now being rolled out and will reach all supermarkets by the end of 2009.
Food waste is collected at store and sent back to depots along with the cardboard and plastic that goes back for recycling. Waste from all stores is then consolidated at depot and sent to a number of sites situated throughout the country to be re-processed.
Anaerobic digestion (AD) is Sainsbury’s preferred option for generating energy from food waste, but currently there are not yet enough sites operating within the UK. They are working with AD plant operators to increase the number of sites available and it is their aim that anaerobic digestion will be the only waste to energy process they use by 2012.
Turning this plan into a reality has involved providing extensive colleague training in which the importance of food waste recycling, and the new way of working have been communicated. The new processes are now a regular part of each store’s day-to-day processes.
Sainsbury’s has forged relationships with a number of waste processing companies in order to ensure that they now have a network of plants that are appropriately situated to match the scale and locations of their store and depot network.
Benefits and impacts
- Re-processing 56,000 tonnes of waste can generate energy equal to 30 megawatts – enough to power a town of 20,000 people.
- As they are backhauling the waste, there is no longer a need for lorries to take it to landfill, meaning a substantial reduction in the number of lorries on the road.
- Food waste accounts for around 75 per cent of the waste they generate. As such, by removing it, they remove the need for compactors at back of store. This means not only do they no longer have to invest in them when they open new stores, it also frees up space for other purposes in store.
- Colleagues have engaged with the scheme and can see the results of their work each day.
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