Annex 2

Objective 2: To assess the amount and nature of food waste available for reuse.

Contents

2.1 Introduction / 3
2.1.1 Aims and objectives / 3
2.2 Generation and disposal of household, commercial and industrial food waste / 3
2.2.1 Household food waste / 3
2.2.2 Commercial and industrial food waste / 5
2.2.3 Waste vegetable oil / 8
2.2.4 Fresh meat waste / 8
2.2.5 Catering waste from schools / 8
2.2.6 Food waste from UK hospitality industry / 9
2.3 Summary of the supply chain food waste / 9
2.5 Availability of food waste / 10
2.6 Composition of food waste and suitability for recycling / 11
2.6.1 Composition of food waste / 11
2.7 Suitability for use in AD / 12
2.8 Nutritional value of food and catering waste for use in animal feed / 12
2.8.1 Nutritional requirements for pigs, poultry & ruminants / 13
2.8.1.1 Pigs / 13
2.8.1.2 Poultry / 14
2.8.1.3 Ruminants / 16
2.9 Evidence for the nutritional value and ease of use of food waste for use in animal feeds - from feeding trials / 18
3 Conclusions / 21
References / 21
Table 2.1 Estimates of home-generated food waste and principal disposal routes from three studies / 4
Table 2.2 Main components of household food and drink waste by weight categorised by disposal route (WRAP 2009a) / 5
Table 2.3 Food waste of animal origin and vegetable waste generated by business sector in 2009 / 6
Table 2.4 Waste treatment and disposal methods for animal and vegetable waste 2009 (‘000s tonnes) for the industrial and commercial sectors / 7
Table 2.5 Disposal and recovery routes for food waste from UK food and drink manufacturing sector 2006 / 8
Table 2.6 Estimated annual food wastage in the UK hospitality industry by business type / 9
Table 2.7 Estimated total food waste from the UK food and drink supply chain and households / 9
Table 2.8 Estimates of total, currently utilised and potentially available food waste from the household, commercial and industrial sectors / 10
Table 2.9 Potential availability of food waste in different UK business sectors and countries according to Eunomia (2011) / 11
Table 2.10 Existing UK food waste treatment capacity / 11
Table2.11 Composition of food waste from different sources on a % of dry eight/matter basis. (from Iacovidou, et al (2012)) / 12
Table 2.12 Typical nutrient levels currently used in compound feeds used for different species (courtesy Nikki Beckett,Thompsons of York) / 13
Table 2.13Nutrient Requirements of Immature Leghorn-Type Chickens as Percentages or Units per Kilogram of Diet / 15
Table 2.14 Typical diet specifications for Holstein Friesian milkers (per kg feed) for medium milkers: adaptedfrom:
/ 17
Table 2.15 Ration guidelines for growing and finishing cattle (EBLEX, 2008) / 17
Table 2.16 Food waste feeding studies / 19

2.1 Introduction

In order to evaluate the practicalities of using food waste in the production of animal feed it is important to understand the amounts of food waste available and what type and quality is available. There are a number of reports on waste volume and type already available and these were used to calculate the overall amount of food waste. Data was not always available for all the sources, in particular for volumes of former foodstuffs from the retail area.

It is necessary to establish not only the amounts of waste collected but whether it is suitable for use as an animal feed and whether it is available in practically usable volumes in order to establish sustainability of options. Therefore it is important to assess the nature of the waste and whether it is nutritionally suitable as an animal feed.

2.1.1 Aims and objectives

To assess the volume and composition of food waste currently recycled/recovered and potentially available for recycling/recovery (Objective 2).

2.2 Generation and disposal of household, commercial and industrial food waste

The information on the volume and composition of food waste is derived from a number of studies commissioned predominantly by WRAP and Defra. Figures for domestic food waste (section 2.3.1.) are estimates of total UK waste arisings (WRAP 2009a, 2009b, 2011a), for 2007 and 2010 whilst figures for commercial and industrial food waste arisings are for England only (Defra 2011a). Other more recent reports covering food waste generated by schools (WRAP 2011b) and the hospitality industry (WRAP 2011c) provide estimates for food waste arisings in these sectors for England and the UK respectively. Estimates for the potential for recovery of food waste from different waste streams are from studies carried out by WRAP (2009a), DEFRA (2011a) and Eunomia (2011).

2.2.1 Household food waste

Whilst estimates of food and drink waste vary between different studies, the most recent estimate of food and drink (catering) waste generated by households in the UK is around 7.2mt (WRAPa) for 2010. This compares with a figure of 8.3 (+/-0.3) mt for 2007 (WRAP 2009a), a decrease of 13%. Of the total waste generated, around 84% comprises food waste and the remainder drink waste. Around 4.6 mt (+/- 0.16 mt) of this household waste, representing 64% of the total waste, is collected by Local Authorities in the weekly or fortnightly bin collections, whilst of the remainder, 1.9 mt (~26%) is disposed of through the sewerage system and only around 10% is composted by the household or used in the household for feeding pets.

The most recent estimate of household food waste collected by Local Authorities (4.6 mt) is around 21% lower than two earlier surveys carried out in 2007 (WRAP 2009a) and 2008 (WRAP 2009b) which had estimates of Local Authority collected waste of 5.8 and 5.9 mt respectively (Table 2.1). The estimates for sewer disposal (1.9 mt) and home composting (0.7 mt) for 2010 (WRAP 2011a) are in close correspondence with the estimates (sewer disposal 1.8 mt and composted 0.69 mt) for the 2007 survey (WRAP 2009a) but higher than estimates from the WRAP report Down the Drain (WRAP 2009b) which relied on recording household waste disposal in diaries over a short time period. None of the three surveys provided figures for food waste sent for anaerobic digestion (AD) although food disposed of through the sewerage system is likely to be treated by AD by the water companies.

The most detailed analysis of food disposal by category of food, separated into avoidable and unavoidable components, is provided in Household Food and Drink Waste in the UK (WRAP 2009a) for 2007.

Table 2.1. Estimates of home-generated food waste and principal disposal routes from three studies.

Total UK household food and drink waste (mt/annum)
Disposal route / New estimates for Household Food and Drink Waste in the UK (WRAP 2011a) / Household Food and Drink Waste in the UK (WRAP 2009a) / Down the Drain (WRAP 2009b)
Local Authority collections / 4.6 / 5.8 / 5.9
Sewer / 1.9 / 1.8 / 0.60
Home composting/ feeding own pets (under Authorisation A10) / 0.70 / 0.69 / 0.20
Anaerobic digestion / Unknown / Unknown / Unknown
Total / 7.2 / 8.28 / 6.7

Of the 5.8 mt of food and drink waste collected by local authorities in 2007, 5.3 mt was classified by WRAP (2009a) as avoidable waste. The main components of this avoidable waste are food and drink left over after cooking, preparing or serving (2.2mt) and food and drink discarded as being past the ‘use by’ date (2.9 mt). The remainder is divided equally between potentially avoidable food waste (1.5 mt) comprising bread crusts, potato peelings etc. and unavoidable food waste (1.5 mt) comprising food and drink unsuitable for consumption including eggshells, bones, banana skins, tea bags etc. Most food waste in the UK is produced by the domestic household and is classified as catering waste[1]. Detailed estimates of the components of food waste and the principal methods of disposal are summarised in Table 2.2. The major part of food and drink waste generated by households is collected by the local authority as part of the normal weekly and/or fortnightly bin collections. Around 4.6-5.0 mt of domestic food (catering) waste is currently sent to landfill annually. There is only limited national information on the proportion of this waste sent for composting or anaerobic digestion.

Table 2.2. Main components of household food and drink waste by weight categorised by disposal route (WRAP 2009a).

Food/drink / Wastage (mt) / LA collected
(mt) / Sewer
(mt) / Home compost/feeding own pets (mt)
Vegetables and salad / 1.9 / 1.6 / 0.031 / 0.25
Drink / 1.3 / 0.48 / 0.73 / 0.023
Fresh fruit / 1.1 / 0.96 / 0.006 / 0.13
Bakery / 0.80 / 0.66 / 0.011 / 0.12
Home-made and pre-prepared meals / 0.69 / 0.56 / 0.11 / 0.022
Meat and fish / 0.61 / 0.50 / 0.60 / 0.053
Dairy and eggs / 0.58 / 0.19 / 0.37 / 0.027
Processed vegetables and salad / 0.21 / 0.16 / 0.033 / 0.011
Condiments, sauces, herbs and spices / 0.21 / 0.12 / 0.085 / 0.004
Staple foods / 0.20 / 0.11 / 0.070 / 0.024
Cake and desserts / 0.19 / 0.13 / 0.053 / 0.012
Oil and fat1 / 0.090 / 0.026 / 0.064 / 0.001
Confectionery and snacks / 0.071 / 0.064 / 0.001 / 0.006
Processed fruit / 0.030 / 0.013 / 0.013 / 0.004
Other / 0.30 / 0.16 / 0.15 / 0.001
Total / 8.3 / 5.8 / 1.8 / 0.69

1WRAP (2007) provides an estimate of ~72,600 tonnes of waste vegetable oil (WVO) from UK households for 2005 (based on 3 kg WVO/household from approximately 24.2M UK households).

2.2.2 Commercial and industrial food waste

Comprehensive data relating to the production and management of commercial and industrial waste is limited. The most recent study was commissioned by Defra (Defra 2011a). This study estimated waste arisings in 2009 for England only, from a total of 6,005 businesses, based on information collected by questionnaire and a mix of face to face and telephone interviews.

Commercial and industrial businesses produced a total of 3.76 mt of separately collected animal and vegetable waste in 2009, or ~ 5.4 mt when estimates of animal and vegetable waste in mixed waste arisings were included. The figure for separately collected animal and vegetable waste represents 8% of the total waste generated. This waste is primarily generated by the food, drink and tobacco, retail and wholesale and hotel and catering business sectors (Table 2.3).

Table 2.3. Food waste of animal origin and vegetable waste generated by business sector in 2009.

Business sector / Animal and vegetable waste (‘000s tonnes) separately collected / Animal and vegetable waste (‘000s tonnes) including estimates of food waste in mixed waste arisings1
Industrial2
Food, drink and tobacco / 2,406 / 2,662
Textiles etc. / 17 / 32
Power and utilities / 278 / 287
Chemicals etc. / 40 / 62
Metal manufacturing / 74 / 96
Machinery and equipment / 12 / 55
Total industrial food waste / 2,827 / 3,194
Commercial2
Retail and wholesale / 328 / 675
Hotels and catering / 106 / 439
Public administration / 31 / 199
Education / 82 / 247
Transport and storage / 215 / 301
Other services / 171 / 388
Total commercial food waste / 933 / 2,249
Total industrial and commercial food waste / 3,760 / 5,443

1Amount of estimated food waste co-mingled with other wastes quantified and combined with figures for separately collected food waste.

2Includes both catering waste and former foodstuffs. Figures for the industrial food sector and commercial retail and wholesale sectors will comprise mainly former foodstuffs whilst figures for other sectors will comprise mainly catering waste from works’ canteens etc.

The total of separately collected industrial animal and vegetable waste arisings (~2.8mt) was considerably higher than the equivalent figure for the commercial sector (0.93 mt). When estimates of animal and vegetable waste in mixed waste arisings are added to the figures for separately collected waste the totals for industrial (~ 3.2 mt) and commercial (~ 2.2 mt) animal and vegetable waste arisings are closer.

The breakdown of management methods for animal and vegetable waste (Table 2.4) suggests recycling (1.72mt/ 2,07mt) is the principal treatment choice. Whilst only a small proportion of separately collected food waste is sent to landfill (~0.083 mt) a much larger proportion of food waste comingled with other waste is landfilled (~0.95mt). A relatively large amount (0.39mt/ 0.41mt) is used for land recovery whilst only 0.37mt is composted. No figures are provided for recovery by anaerobic digestion. A large quantity of the waste (1.7/2.07 mt) is recycled although no details are provided of the products of the recycling process.

Table 2.4. Waste treatment and disposal methods for animal and vegetable waste 2009 (‘000s tonnes) for the industrial and commercial sectors.

Management type / Animal and vegetable waste (‘000s tonnes) separately collected / Animal and vegetable waste (‘000s tonnes) including allocation of mixed waste1
Landfill / 83 / 948
Land recovery2 / 391 / 412
Thermal (with energy recovery)3 / 157 / 204
Thermal (without energy recovery)4 / 222 / 254
Non-thermal treatment5 / 229 / 236
Transfer station6 / 11 / 72
Recycling7 / 1,725 / 2,072
Composting8 / 374 / 383
Reuse9 / 366 / 372
Unknown / 214 / 469
Total / 3,772 / 5,422

1Amount of food waste co-mingled with other wastes quantified and combined with figures for separately collected food waste.

2 Reclamation, restoration or improvement of land as substitute for virgin materials.

3Incineration, pyrolysis and gasification.

4Incineration including crematoria and clinical waste incineration.

5Includes a physical, thermal, chemical or biological process (including sorting) to change the characteristics of the waste.

6Facility to bulk up waste before transferring to another facility for treatment

7Recovery of material and transformation into new goods.

8Biological treatment of organic wastes to convert to a stable granular material (i.e. compost).

9Waste material from one business used as a valuable resource for another business.

Of the 948,000 tonnes of animal and vegetable waste sent to landfill, 17,522 tonnes was considered to be potentially reusable, 185,063 tonnes potentially recyclable and 252,641 tonnes potentially recoverable (Defra 2011a).

Data for the recovery and disposal of waste from the UK food and drink manufacturing sector for 2006(WRAP 2010) is presented in Table 2.5. These data indicate that of a total estimated 2.6 mt of food waste only 75,000 tonnes was sent to landfill. The most common food waste management method was land spreading (~0.93 mt tonnes) followed by recycling (~0.70mt), thermal treatment (~ 0.40 mt) anaerobic digestion (~0.28 mt) and composting (~ 0.15 mt).

Table 2.5. Disposal and recovery routes for food waste from UK food and drink manufacturing sector 20061.

Management type / Animal and vegetable waste (‘000s tonnes) separately collected
Landfill / 75
Land spreading / 927
Thermal (with energy recovery) / 402
Thermal / 17
Anaerobic digestion / 284
Recycling / 697
Composting / 148
Reuse / 23
Other / 18
Total / 2,592

1Mainly former foodstuffs.

2.2.3 Waste vegetable oil

An estimated 80,000 tonnes of waste vegetable oil (WVO) from the commercial sector is recycled annually to produce around 75,000 tonnes of fuel (biodiesel), and 5,000 tonnes of oleochemicals, whilst a further 1,000 tonnes is disposed of by incineration. A further 20,000 tonnes of WVO is collected from food manufacturers to be used in the animal feed industry. An estimated 72,600 tonnes of WVO is produced by UK households but not collected (WRAP 2007). There may be considerable potential for increasing the recycling/recovery of WVO here which requires further investigation to assess its feasibility.

2.2.4 Fresh meat waste

Around 1.4 mt of animal by-products from the wholesale and retail supply chains is produced annually in the UK of which some 75,620 tonnes/annum comes from the retail sector with the remainder produced in slaughterhouses and cutting plants. This figure comprises Category 1, 2 and 3 waste of poultry, beef, pigs and sheep, including feathers and blood (WRAP 2011d). This compares with an annual wastage of 0.57 mt of fresh meat by UK households (WRAP 2009a). The bulk of the waste meat from the retail and wholesale sectors is rendered to produce fuel (~ 0.41 mt), pet food and fertiliser (~ 0.18 mt) or oleochemicals, soap, and biodiesel (~ 0.14 mt).

2.2.5 Catering waste from schools

In a WRAP commissioned study, food waste arisings (catering waste) were estimated for 2009 in primary and secondary schools in England. Over a 40-week school year an estimated 55,408 tonnes of food waste was generated by primary schools and 29,974tonnes by secondary schools giving a total food waste weight of 80,382 tonnes (WRAP 2011b). The main source of wastage was in the fruit, vegetables (including potatoes) and mixed (non-sandwich) categories with the bulk of the waste generated from school meals and considered to be avoidable. Potatoes represented 46% and 40% of vegetable waste in primary and secondary schools respectively. The estimated grossed up figure of 80,328 tonnes for English primary and secondary school food waste arisings in 2009 is in close agreement with the estimate (82,000 tonnes) from a DEFRA commissioned study (DEFRA 2011a) for separately collected animal and vegetable waste by the education sector for the same year (Table 3.6).

2.2.6 Food waste from the UK hospitality industry

A study by WRAP (2011c) estimated that the UK hospitality sectorgenerated an estimated 0.6 mt of food waste (41% of total waste) in 2009/10 (Table 2.6) of which 0.4 mt (67%) was considered to be avoidable.

Table 2.6. Estimated annual food wastage in the UK hospitality industry by business type.

Business type / Estimated food waste (‘000s tonnes)
Restaurants /
239.0
Quick Service Restaurants /
54.7
Pubs /
241.5
Hotels /
63.7
Total /
598.9

Restaurants and pubs generated the bulk of the waste, each producing around 0.24mt of food waste. No information was available on the treatment methods applied to this waste. Separate figures for catering waste and waste comprising former foodstuffs are unavailable but it is likely that the bulk of the waste will be catering waste.

2.3 Summary of the supply chain food waste

Aggregated estimates from food waste generated by households (Defra 2011a; WRAP 2009a, 2009b; 2011a) gives a total estimate of annual food waste across the supply chain (manufacturing, distribution, retail and household) of approximately 11.5 mt (Table 2.7).

Table 2.7. Estimated total food waste from the UK food and drink supply chain and households.

Supply chain stage / Food waste (‘000s tonnes)
Manufacturing1 / 2,406
Distribution2 / 4
Retail2 / 3623
Household4 / 7,200
Total / 9,972

1Manufacturing data from 2009 (Defra 2011a); figure is for separately collected animal and vegetable waste from the food manufacturing sector. This figure increases to ~ 2.7 mt when mixed animal and vegetable waste is included.

2Data from 2008 (WRAP 2010); the figure for distribution is scaled up from estimates of one major supermarket. Retail figure includes waste from supermarkets.

3This contrasts with a figure of 328,000 tonnes waste arisings in 2009 for segregated food waste in the commercial sector in Defra (2011a).

4Data from WRAP 2011a for 2010.

Table 2.8. Estimates of total, currently utilised and potentially available food waste from the household, commercial and industrial sectors.

Million tonnes(mt)
Household / Commercial / Industrial
Currently recovered/recycled / 2.791 / ~ 0.372
Potentially available for recovery/recycling / 5.13 / Reusable ~ 0.14, 6
Recyclable ~ 0.354, 6
Recoverable ~ 0.374, 6
Total waste / 7.25 / 2.256 / 3.196

1Data from WRAP 2009a for 2007.

2Figure generated from table 6 for total animal and vegetable (including in mixed waste) waste generated for commercial and industrial sectors for 2009. It excludes incineration without energy recovery, unknown disposal methods and landfill.

3Derived from data in WRAP 2009a for 2007. Estimated that 89% (5.1 mt) of the 5.8 mt food waste collected by Local Authorities is landfilled and is, therefore potentially available for recovery/recycling.

4Figures of 5.2mt and 0.56 mt of potentially recoverable animal and vegetable waste from the commercial and industrial sectors respectively were estimated in a study by Eunomia 2011covering Great Britain.

5Includes 1.9mt disposed of through sewers and treated by AD at treatment works and 0.7mt home composted or fed to pets (WRAP, 2011a). A further 0.3mt comprises LA source separated kerbside collections of food waste (Eunomia 2011).