Waste and recycling minister Jane Kennedy has set out a 'vision' for anaerobic digestion in the UK, with the aim of making the process an "established technology" by 2020.

Speaking at the National Farmers Union's (NFU) annual conference in Birmingham today (February 17), Ms Kennedy unveiled a list of 'shared goals' for AD, which recognises that the technology is currently "under-deployed" in both the waste and farming sectors.

There are alternatives to sending organic waste to landfill. Anaerobic digestion is a true solution

 
Jane Kennedy

The minister also announced that Steve Lee, the chief executive of the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management, would chair a task group that would become responsible for developing a plan to reach those goals.

The 'shared goals' document - which is backed by 35 stakeholders including WRAP, Veolia, the Association for Organics Recycling, Sainsbury's and ASDA - claims that, by 2020, AD "will be an established technology in this country, making a significant and measurable contribution to our climate change and wider environmental objectives."

In particular, it says AD has an "important role" to play in the UK meeting its 2020 goals for landfill diversion, increasing renewable energy use and reducing carbon emissions.

And, it claims that, by 2020, the UK will be "a world leader in the cost effective, innovative and beneficial use of anaerobic digestion and in anaerobic digestion technology and expertise."

In the document, Defra says the UK produces over 100 million tonnes of organic material suitable for AD a year, including between 12 million and 20 million tonnes of food waste, with the potential to produce up to 7.5% of the renewable energy it believes will be required by 2020.

The NFU envisages at least 100 waste-linked AD plants being built by 2020, alongside 1,000 smaller farm-related facilities.

Vision

Announcing the vision for AD today, Ms Kennedy said: "We're producing more organic waste in this country than we can handle, over 12 million tonnes of food waste a year - and farmers know all too well the challenges of managing manure and slurry.

"There are alternatives to sending organic waste to landfill. Anaerobic digestion is a true solution.

"This material could produce enough heat and power to run more than two million homes - helping to prevent dangerous climate change by providing a renewable energy source as well as reducing our reliance on landfill," she added.

Food waste

Outlining specific goals for AD as a solution for waste management, the document emphasises the role it could play in dealing with food waste, calling on the food and drink industry and retailers to consider the technology.

It also suggests that councils should consider AD as an option, stating that: "local authorities will consider where anaerobic digestion can contribute to achieving their waste management, recycling and low carbon emission goals."

The vision for AD is further proof of the government's support for AD, while it has generally not stated any preference for other forms of waste treatment technology.

Its publication comes in the wake of a report published earlier this month by National Grid, which backed major investment in AD to produce biogas to heat the UK's homes (see letsrecycle.com story).

However, as today's report acknowledges, there has not yet been large-scale take-up of AD in the waste sector, with the majority of the UK's use of the technology associated with treating sewage sludge.

Task group

Steve Lee's appointment as chair of the task group established today means that he will be expected to lead the development of an Implementation Plan to reach the shared goals.

The plan is expected to set out the "practical measures" that stakeholders such as government departments, waste management companies and retailers can take to achieve the targets.