The benefits of food waste composting

On-Site Food Waste Composting: A Key to Reducing Carbon Footprint, Boosting Sustainability, and Meeting CSR Goals

Sustainable Food Waste Solutions to Cut Carbon Emissions and Strengthen CSR

Organisations around the world are continuously seeking sustainable business practices to reduce their carbon footprint and demonstrate a genuine commitment to environmental responsibility. One highly effective solution to achieve these goals is through on-site food waste composting.

On-site composting not only helps businesses meet their sustainability targets but also offers a range of ethical, environmental, resource, and financial benefits. It’s an efficient way to manage food waste, ensuring companies align with their corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategies while improving operational efficiency.

With over 1.3 billion tonnes of food waste generated globally every year, the need for sustainable food waste management has never been more urgent. By adopting on-site food waste composting, businesses can make a significant impact in reducing this figure and support a more sustainable food cycle.

Composting at source also offers substantial environmental benefits compared to anaerobic digestion. It eliminates the need for extensive waste transportation, which helps lower both carbon emissions and overall business costs. This makes composting a more sustainable and cost-effective solution for managing food waste.

Incorporating on-site commercial composting into a company’s operations plays a vital role in fulfilling corporate social responsibility (CSR) commitments. By embracing sustainable waste management practices, businesses can reduce their environmental impact, support the circular economy, and contribute to a greener, more responsible future.

Choosing on-site food waste composting isn’t just an environmentally responsible decision—it’s a smart and forward-thinking investment in the future of your business.

TONNES

1,300,000,000

TONNES

Did you know that every year across the globe 1,300,000,000 tonnes of food is lost or wasted?

TONNES

3,300,000,000

TONNES

Food waste’s annual carbon footprint is estimated at 3,300,000,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent.

PEOPLE

200,000,000

PEOPLE

From the food wasted in Europe alone, 200,000,000 people could be fed.

HECTARES

1,400,000,000

HECTARES

It’s a sad reality that around 1,400,000,000 hectares of land are used to grow food that’s lost or wasted.

What are the benefits of composting?

  • It helps to divert tonnes of food waste away from landfill
  • It turns food waste into a valuable resource
  • It enables companies to close the waste management loop
  • It saves thousands of pounds in off-site disposal costs
  • It reduces global greenhouse gases
  • It decreases pollution levels – less trucks on the road means cleaner air
  • It creates a nutrient-rich resource which can be used in growing projects.
  • It generates jobs – especially in city-wide food waste collection projects.
  • It improves the structure and quality of soil – promoting healthy plant and produce growth.
  • It makes the produce we grow more nutritious – meaning healthier, happier human beings!
  • It omits the need to use more synthetic, chemical fertilisers.
  • It eliminates our reliance upon using peat-based composts, which are damaging to the environment and peatland ecosystems.

Why put compost back in the ground?

Restoring soil health

One of the great things about compost, also known as ‘black gold’, is that it boosts soil’s organic matter, improving soil quality by reducing erosion and strengthening the structure. It acts as an overall nutrient provider replenishing lifeless soil with a fertile equivalent.

Increasing water capacity

By adding compost to soil, this can drastically boost the soil’s ability to hold water, meaning that plants and produce have a healthier environment in which to grow. Also, compost omits the need to use synthetic fertilisers which can contain harmful chemicals, helping to protect our natural environment.

Making commercial sense

By composting on site, organisations save money by removing the need for off-site disposal, but they can greatly reduce transport-related carbon emissions too. This activity also moves them further up the waste hierarchy into ‘prevention of waste’, and demonstrates their commitment to sustainability.

Improving air quality

It also helps to purify the air that we breathe. Nutrient-rich compost is a vital component in the carbon sequestration process, removing CO2 from our atmosphere and storing it in the ground, helping to rebalance our atmosphere and undo the effects of climate change.

Useful Links & Resources

 

  • BREEAM or LEED, which provide credibility and context about green building and sustainability
  • UN Global Compact – A global initiative for CSR and sustainability
  • CSR Europe – A leading European business network for CSR
  • Ellen MacArthur Foundation – A trusted source of information on circular economy practices
  • WRAP – The Waste and Resources Action Programme offers advice and resources on food waste reduction
  • Food Waste Reduction Alliance – Collaborative effort to reduce food waste
  • Carbon Trust – For advice and tools on reducing carbon emissions
  • CDP – Carbon Disclosure Project, providing reporting resources for carbon footprints and sustainability efforts
  • Love Food Hate Waste – Resources on reducing food waste
  • Net Zero Climate – Information on achieving net-zero emissions
  • GHG Protocol – A widely used greenhouse gas accounting standard for carbon footprints

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