London’s food waste

Project overview

This site in Mitcham is one of Londons largest food waste recycling plants and converts all food waste into biogas, electricity and fertiliser. 75.000 tonnes of waste from restaurants and bars in London is taken in per annum. The produced biogas is upgraded and injected into the national gas grid and provided straight to homes and local businesses meanwhile reducing the environmental impact. Additionally, the biogas production at Mitcham will help to to reduce the far less sustainable options and sources such as fracking.

The project

The waste collection site has been in operation longer than it has been upgrading biogas. Previously, electricity was generated in 2014 the site was expanded with a biogas upgrading unit, DMTs Carborex®MS. More recently the upgrading unit was expanded and more membranes were added to be able to upgrade more biogas.

The site is located near Mitcham in Surrey and processes waste from Sainsbury’s but also schools, hospitals, hotels and food factories across London. Waste that otherwise would have gone to the landfill, is now being processed and converted into a renewable energy source.

The Mitcham biogas upgrading site digests food waste anaerobically in a controlled system. Menaing it is decomposed in the absence of oxygen using the naturally occurring organisms to digest the organic matter and producing biogas. Anaerobic digestion is the most common way of producing biogas. The gas that is produced at Mitcham Biogas is injected into the national gas grid, providing the local area with green gas, biomethane. The process helps the UK to reduce the use of fossil fuels and offers a more sustainable source of energy.

Project details

Product: Carborex®MS
Year: 2014
Location: Mitcham, Surrey
Biogas Inlet: 1000 Nm³
Biogas Source: Organic waste, food waste
Application: Gas to Grid injection