Food Waste Management
Did you know that the UK alone produces up to 20 million tonnes of food waste a year? Food waste has always been a problem, but over the past decade or so, it has become a major concern, with almost one-third of the global food produced ending up as waste. Businesses account for a significant amount of this waste, which is why good food waste management is essential.
Food waste is bad for many reasons. Aside from the fact that the world is still fighting with hunger problems, it takes a lot of energy, effort, time and resources to produce food.
Food that is wasted often ends up at landfill sites, which again is not a good thing because food when decomposed, releases toxic gases which can cause a variety of medical conditions when inhaled.
For businesses, food waste disposal can be a significant cost. The main solution to this problem is to prevent food waste in the first place. Businesses must identify why food is being wasted to come up with specific solutions.
In hospitality and tourism industries, it is not entirely possible to prevent food waste and in such cases, businesses need to opt for proper food management and recycling services that will help them lower the costs associated with food waste and to prevent as much food waste as possible from ending up in landfills.
At Utopia Waste, we believe that segregating food waste at its source and disposing of it properly is a much better solution than sending it to the landfill as part of your general waste collection.
We offer a wide range of food waste management and recycling services that are designed for the food processing and hospitality industry, as well as businesses across all other industries.
If your business produces a lot of food waste, we can work with you to devise a waste management plan that will be suitable for you. We can remove the hassle and headache out of food waste management for your business with our extensive selection of food waste bins, services and free advice and support.
What is Food Waste?
Food waste refers to the food that is intended for consumption but has been discarded or spoiled. It can occur at any stage of food processing, including:
- Production – where food can be damaged due to equipment failure or attacks by insects.
- Handling and storage – fresh produce which can go bad as a result of improper handling or long storage periods. Food such as fresh fish and meat also often get wasted due to inadequate storage.
- Processing – wastage is common due to the processing techniques used. For example, canning of fish, pasteurisation of milk, slicing and peeling of fruits and vegetables can lead to food wastage.
- Distribution – where food gets thrown away because they have gone rotten or reached their expiry time.
- Consumption – food wastage occurs because food that is intended for consumption in places like hospitals, homes, schools and restaurants are not eaten.
Why You Should Recycle Your Waste
There are many reasons for your business to recycle the food waste it produces. If you opt for suitable waste management services, your food waste will not end up in a landfill, helping you to reduce your landfill costs.
According to the new legislation on food waste, the disposal should be done in compliance with the Food Standards Agency (FSA). If you undertake waste management in a responsible, clean and safe manner, you will be doing your bit for the environment, while staying within the bounds of laws concerning food waste and disposal.
Food that gets disposed of at the landfill releases toxic substances which can contaminate the water supplies. The excessive amounts of methane produced by food breakdown in the landfill can cause damage to the environment and lead to health complications.
Recycling food can help you to create renewable energy. In fact, it can produce enough energy to power a wide range of electrical appliances and equipment across the UK.
Food Waste Collection and Disposal
Utopia Waste offers an innovative approach when it comes to managing food waste produced by your business. We can turn your food waste into a useful resource by providing you with services that are tailored to meet your specific needs.
We can offer a full range of bins and containers that can be emptied at a time and frequency to meet your needs. Our range of bins and containers include 240-1100 litre wheelie bins, front end loaders, rear end loaders, skips and large industrial containers.
When you segregate your food waste, you can cut down on waste management costs. We work with restaurants, hotels, coffee houses, retailers and manufacturers to ensure proper and safe disposal of their waste.
Waste collection can be undertaken as per your requirements. Whether you require a daily, weekly or fortnightly collection service, we will make sure that your food waste is collected on time, every time.