Aerobic digesters could swallow up London’s household rubbish

Published: 8:30 AM October 30, 2009

Updated: 8:15 AM October 14, 2020

Dear Ed, I WORK on behalf of producers of aerobic digesters and read with interest the article Cheap heat for a million homes—pure rubbish, says City Hall.’ The London Assembly’s plans, however, omit home treatment of food waste as a possibility for individual householders with gardens to dispose of food waste using a digester’

Dear Ed,

I WORK on behalf of producers of aerobic digesters and read with interest the article 'Cheap heat for a million homes-pure rubbish, says City Hall' (Advertiser Website, October 28).

The London Assembly's plans, however, omit home treatment of food waste as another possibility, for individual householders with gardens to dispose of food waste using a 'digester.'

About 30 per cent of all food ends up being thrown away. In London alone, around 400,000 untouched apples, 750,000 slices of bread and 125,000 slices of ham end up being thrown away every day.

The Government has pledged to tackle food waste at source. Centralised plants in London to create 'eco' fuel and energy makes good sense, but disposing waste in householders' gardens, where possible, makes even better sense. Transporting waste contributes to carbon dioxide emissions and traffic congestion.

Treating food waste in the home would reduce lorries on the road and costs to local authorities. Some local authorities already offer subsidised 'digesters' to householders which take food waste such as bones, meat, cooked and uncooked food and turn it into water and CO2, far less harmful than the methane produced at landfills.

Green Cone is made from recycled plastic and uses the sun's energy to create a heat trap of circulating air that encourages natural bacteria to break food down into its basic carbon and water constituents.