Waste Management Food

Waste management

Large volumes of waste are generated by the food and drink sector. There are many opportunities for reducing waste and improving the recovery of raw materials while minimising environmental impacts.

Duty of Care
You have a Duty of Care, which is a legal responsibility, to manage your own waste. As a waste producer you must take reasonable measures to prevent waste and to apply the waste hierarchy.

Waste exemptions
Waste treatment and recovery operations must comply with environmental permitting legislation. Some activities such as spreading waste on agricultural land to confer benefit and the treatment of waste food to remove packaging need an exemption from permitting.
U10 – spreading waste on agricultural land to confer benefit
T13 – treatment of waste food to remove packaging

Waste exemptions
Animal by-products
Waste animal by-products must be treated and disposed of in accordance with regulations enforced by Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA) and local authorities.

Anaerobic Digestion
Research shows that for food wastes, anaerobic digestion (AD) has environmental benefits over other recovery options.
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Packaging regulations
Businesses are required to finance the recovery and recycling of specified amounts of packaging waste each year. You must comply with these regulations if your company produces, uses or handles over 50 tonnes of packaging per year and has an annual turnover of over £2 million.