Sources and Assumptions
The aim of the calculator is to illustrate the potential savings achieved when a percentage of UK households use food waste disposers (FWDs). The savings are guideline estimates for information purposes only.
Money savings data
The cost of separate kerbside collection per household p.a. is estimated at £33 – a cost per household which would be removed for every food waste disposer used.
Source: Evans, T. D. (2007) Environmental impact study of food waste disposers for the County Surveyors’ Society & Herefordshire Council and Worcestershire County Council. Updated 25 May 2010 by author.
Energy savings data per household
It is estimated that on average each food waste disposal unit can create 76kWh of electricity per household per year through energy recapture.
Source: Evans, T.D.: Andersson, P.: Wievegg, A.: Carlsson, I. (2010) Surahammar – a case study of the impacts of installing food waste disposers in fifty percent of households. Water Environ. J. 241 309-319Equivalent energy consumption per household
Total UK domestic electricity consumption is 115,350GWh and average consumption per UK household is 4471 kWh/household/year.
Source: Digest of UK Energy Statistics (DUKES)
UK households
Total UK households is 25.8M, this includes 21.5M for English households, 2.34 M households in Scotland, 1.34M in Wales and 0.63M for Northern Ireland. Average occupants per household is 2.36.
Source: 2001 Census, Office for National Statistics
Equivalent cities
Population sizes from are taken from the Office for National Statistics’ list of the largest settlements in the UK.
Source: 2001 Census, Office for National Statistics.
Equivalent landfill savings
The landfill savings are based on the estimated 270 kg of food wasted per UK household per year
Source: WRAP
About Sources
The Digest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics (DUKES) is an annual publication, now published by the Department of Energy and Climate Change, which provides comprehensive data for the year and an account of trends in energy supply and demand in the UK.
WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) is a not-for-profit organisation, backed by government funding, working in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to help businesses and individuals reap the benefits of reducing waste, develop sustainable products and use resources in an efficient way.
Office for National Statistics (ONS) is the executive office of the UK Statistics Authority, a non-ministerial governmental department charged with the collection and publication of statistics related to the economy, population and society of the UK at national and local levels.
