Waste-Works, the only waste and resource event dedicated to the food and drink industry, kicked off on Sunday 22 March at the ExCeL Centre, London, with the announcement that the Greater London Authority’s FoodSave project has saved over 160 tonnes of food waste and more than £400,000 a year.
Adam Batchelor, programme manager, FoodSave, Greater London Authority and Victoria Moorhouse, head of programmes, Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA), presented lessons and results from the pilot project during the event’s line-up of free seminars, Waste-Works Live.
The FoodSave project was launched to help small and medium-sized food businesses in London reduce food waste, put surplus food to good use and dispose of unavoidable food waste more responsibly, through processes such as composting or anaerobic digestion. Funded by the European Regional Development Fund, the London Waste and Recycling Board and the Mayor of London, it was free to businesses to take part.
The Sustainable Restaurant Association delivered FoodSave for foodservice and hospitality businesses in London with the help of Waste-Works exhibitor Winnow Solutions’ smart meter, the Winnow System, which measures food waste. The aim was to reduce food waste by over 150 tonnes and save businesses over £350,000 in costs association with waste which has been exceeded.
Giles Whiteley, founder of Orbisa, began proceedings at Waste-Works Live with his presentation ‘Through chains and circular thinking for business’. The through chain concept was developed by Orbisa to help companies consider how resources go through businesses in order to implement sustainable changes and become more efficient.
Waste-Works is taking place alongside IFE, the leading UK food and drink event, and Pro2Pac, the UK’s only packaging event designed exclusively for the food and drink sector. The three events combined cover the full supply chain for food businesses, from ‘Farm to Fork to Fertiliser and Fuel’, and bring together key decision makers to offer unbeatable business and networking opportunities.
Waste-Works is free to attend and runs until Wednesday 25 March, registration is open at www.waste-works.com/registration.