14 September 2015
Food Fuel - join the green revolution
Restaurants and businesses across the north east are invited to join a green revolution and commit to recycling their food waste.
Award-winning waste management firm Warrens today launches its Food Fuel initiative, which allows businesses to generate sustainable energy, while also diverting waste from landfill.
It's already attracted a high-profile list of members, including:
The north east's only Michelin-starred restaurant, the Raby Hunt
Middlesbrough Football Club
Matfen Hall Hotel and Spa
Food Fuel encourages owners and managers of restaurants, shops, hotels and other businesses to consider their responsibility to the environment and choose to turn their food preparation waste into a green energy source, saving them money in the process.
The scheme is the brainchild of brothers Adam and Antony Warren, owners and chief operators of the family business that has run successfully since 1946, building up a loyal customer base.
Waste is converted into green energy using the firm's anaerobic digestor plant. For every tonne of food waste recycled the plant can generate 300 kilowatt hours (kWh) of energy, enough to power a fridge for a whole year.
"Food Fuel was developed to help businesses large and small commit to a sustainable future. Waste is our business and being able to put our systems and infrastructure to work in helping reduce the region's carbon footprint made sense," Adam Warren said.
"Increasingly, customers want to pay for services that are designed to minimise their environmental impact. Food Fuel does that, and membership of the scheme tells your customers that you're innovative, looking ahead and making a commitment to act sustainably.
"Our members save thousands of pounds in landfill tax plus, by opting to recycle their food waste with Food Fuel, they're helping to generate clean, green energy, and are diverting tonnes of waste from being sent to landfill."
Craig Malcolm, restaurant manager at the Raby Hunt, said the restaurant started working with Warrens following a recommendation from a family friend.
"We signed up to Food Fuel because we wanted to move away from sending waste to landfill," he said.
Warrens empties the restaurant's bins twice a week. Craig said big supermarkets and commercial food producers created such a massive amount of food waste there needed to be an attitude change when it came to disposing of it.
"It's initiatives like Food Fuel that help to do this and highlight the importance of recycling and sustainability," he added.
"I'd urge any business owners thinking of recycling their food waste to sign up to Food Fuel - they won't be disappointed."
Lynda Walker, General Manager of Taylor Shaw, a business that was an early adopter of the Food Fuel initiative said:
"Separating waste allows kitchen staff to see what's popular and what's not. It's made our contract more effective and efficient," she said.
"If you monitor the waste you produce, you produce less waste. Food Fuel allows you to put efficient procedures in place, and helps you save money too."
Warrens currently helps businesses to divert 50,000 tonnes of waste from landfill a year and has ambitions to quadruple this to 200,000 tonnes - a quarter of all waste produced by the north east each year.
To find out more about the Food Fuel initiative and its benefits, please visit:www.warrens-foodfuel.co.uk
Alternatively contact Warrens on 01388 488225.
Notes to editors:
To arrange an interview with Adam Warren please contact Chris Sealey on 01287 610404 / 07786 512833