17.02.11 FOOD WASTE DISPOSERS TO HELP HOUSEHOLDS WASTE NOT

Today, the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM) calls for the rejection of the prevailing wisdom that kerbside collection of food waste is the single solution that will end landfilling. Updating its policy in support of Food Waste Disposers, CIWEM wants to encourage as many people as possible to recycle this valuable waste product and divert it from landfill.

Examining the growing body of international case studies and scientific evidence to update its Policy Position Statement on Food Waste Disposers, http://www.ciwem.org/policy-andinternational/policy-position-statements/food-waste-disposers.aspx , CIWEM concludes that maximising capture and transporting food waste by the least carbon-intensive mode are priorities for society.

Douglas Herbison, Chief Executive, the Association of Manufacturers of Domestic Appliances (AMDEA), says: “With just 6% of UK households currently using a food waste disposer, they offer an opportunity for significant improvements in recycling rates. Not to mention a tool to engage city-dwellers, the infirm and the elderly for whom the other options are just not working. They fit under the kitchen sink and grind almost all food waste to minute particles that are easily transported by the waste water system, to be treated alongside sewage at the waste water treatment works. Here, increasingly, anaerobic digesters are used to extract valuable biogas and soil improver. ”

In the UK, 6 million tonnes a year of food waste still goes mainly to black bag and bin. CIWEM calls for recognition that food waste disposers are an effective and environmentally sound solution for the recovery of renewable fuel and fertiliser from this waste. In particular for densely populated urban areas, or those in flats that lack the space, health or commitment, to store their leftovers and carry them outside for separate collection.

With increasing numbers of cities worldwide evaluating food waste disposers, as a means of resolving landfill and the need for renewable energy , AMDEA has recently launched a new website to provide information on Food Waste Disposers, scientific references and case studies: www.food-waste-disposer.org.uk

-ENDS-

Notes to Editors

AMDEA is the UK trade association for the manufacturers of small and large domestic appliances. It represents over 80% of the domestic appliance industry. Members are all manufacturers, importers or distributors of household appliances and include most of the UK's top selling brands.

In 2010 those members who manufacture food waste disposers formed AMDEA’s Food Waste Disposer Group to promote greater awareness of the benefits of food waste disposers, in the belief that wider take-up in the UK could play a significant role in improving sustainability of both new homes and the existing urban housing stock, including multitenanted properties.

Press contact for further information:

Dee Fernandes

AMDEA FWD Group

Tel: 020 7722 9034 Mob: 07887648434

E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.