We were delighted to host The Countess Howe, His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire, along with The High Sheriff, Ann Limb, Councillor Steve Lambert, Mayor of Aylesbury, Councillor Paul Turner, Mayor of High Wycombe, and Councillor Wilford Augustus, Mayor of Chesham.
They joined us at our anaerobic digestion plant in Aylesbury to learn more about the process and the services that Olleco offers to help the UK foodservice industry operate more sustainably. The visit came at a significant time as we welcomed the new Wales 2024 and England 2025 legislations, requiring food waste producing businesses to separate it from their general waste for recycling. We spoke with our guests about the importance of these legislations for their councils, alongside a presentation and plant tour guiding them through the circular journey of our food waste service.
The Countess Howe, High Sheriff and Councillors were positively engaged throughout, asking many questions about the process and expressing their excitement for what anaerobic digestion does, and the impact it will have in the future as we continue to improve food waste recycling in the UK.
The visit was also an opportunity for our esteemed guests to share more information and the latest updates regarding The Coronation Food Project.
“Coordinated by The King Charles III Charitable Fund, the Coronation Food Project seeks to bridge the gap between food waste and food need across all four nations of the United Kingdom, helping people and helping the planet.” - Coronation Food Project website
Reinforcing The King’s passion for both helping communities and the environment, The Countess Howe introduced us to The Coronation Food Project and their focus for tackling food insecurity for those who are most in need.
More than 8,500 charities in the UK rely on surplus food supplies. The Coronation Project has implemented food hubs across the UK as well as warehouses, fridges, freezers, vans and drivers to help the dispersal of surplus food from farmers, producers, manufacturers and supermarkets to the charities and communities who require it.
However, some surplus food is not fit for human or animal consumption, such as rotten fruit and vegetables, making it ‘unavoidable food waste’ and leading to the possibility of being sent to landfill.
As it breaks down in landfill, food gives off methane – a greenhouse gas 25 times more damaging to the environment than CO₂, making it a major contributor to the climate emergency. By sending it to anaerobic digestion, the methane can be safety captured and used to create gas and electricity that can be fed back into the national grid.
Highlighting this, The Countess Howe said, “There will inevitably always be some food waste, which is where your line of business of course comes in. We know how passionate The King is about the environment and the implications of climate change and what you are achieving here makes a significant difference within the food industry.”
The day was full of great learning from both sides, with plentiful conversation and insight into how we are all doing our bit to tackle food waste.
Reflecting on the visit, our Chief Commercial Officer, Adam Baisley said; “We’re honoured that this esteemed group of people were able to join us. It was a very positive day and I’m glad that they had a chance to see where their food waste goes and for us to learn more about the great efforts of the Coronation Project.”
We would like to thank The Countess Howe, High Sheriff, Ann Limb, Councillor Steve Lambert, Councillor Paul Turner, and Councillor Wilford Augustus for taking their time to visit us and being so passionate about what we do at Olleco.