New food waste reduction opportunity for Highland firms
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Food and drink businesses in the Highland Council area interested in improving environmental performance by reducing food waste are being encouraged to join a new group.
The new ‘in-vessel composting’ common interest group, launching in April, will help members to explore shared challenges and ideas relating to managing food waste.
In-vessel composting is where food waste is composted close to source in an enclosed container with temperature control and monitoring. For the right size of businesses, this can save costs while producing valuable compost.
The group is led by SAC Consulting on behalf of Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) and is part of the Food and Drink TechHUB support service for the sector, delivered in partnership with Lochaber Environmental Group and the Highland Good Food Partnership. Both are partners within the Highland Community Waste Partnership (HCWP).
It will provide businesses, including those with food services such as hotels, with the opportunity to work with like-minded entrepreneurs with specialist support on the challenges and opportunities associated with food waste management.
Food and Drink TechHUB provides a mix of events for food and drink firms including innovation clinics, one to one support and common interest groups. It is part of the Northern Innovation Hub (NIH), which is funded with £11m from the UK Government, £2m from the Scottish Government and £1.2m European Regional Development Fund.
NIH is part of the Inverness and Highland City Region deal aimed at stimulating sustainable regional economic growth.
Catriona Ramsay, business development manager in HIE’s NIH team, said: “This new group will help food and drink producers and start-ups to reduce the environmental impact of food waste. For small-scale businesses, an in-vessel composter has the potential to cut waste disposal costs.”
Luisa Riascos Caipe, food and enterprise consultant at SAC Consulting, said: “In-vessel composters can improve the environmental performance of businesses through food waste reduction and recycling.
"When food waste is properly recycled, it can provide soil improvement for farming or a renewable energy source.
“By diverting food waste away from incineration, Scotland can make significant progress in transitioning to a circular bioeconomy and lead to considerable reductions in greenhouse gases, like methane, which is 24 times worse than carbon dioxide.
"Businesses can contribute to this effort by investing in food waste solutions, which would demonstrate their commitment to sustainability and proactive steps towards improving their environmental performance.”
Businesses interested in finding out more can contact Luisa Riascos at Luisa.Riascos@sac.co.uk
