Bird Eye aims for zero waste to landfill by 2014

The frozen food manufacturer has reduced the amount of waste sent to landfill by 21% in the past 12 months and intends to build on this by adopting an integrated waste management package in partnership with Biffa.

This will see Biffa staff working on-site at the company’s Lowestoft site with appointed ‘waste champions’ who will seek out new ways to improve recycling rates. As part of the scheme, a waste cooking oil collection service will be introduced with the oil processed into bio-diesel to power 40 of Biffa’s refuse trucks.

Food waste from Birds Eye is already sent to Biffa’s anaerobic digestion facility in Staffordshire, which is also taking feedstock from Sainsbury’s. In addition, the company is composting any waste potato and vegetables not fit for animal feed.

As part of the agreement, Biffa has also visited Birds Eye sites in Europe to offer and advice on cutting waste and costs.

Commenting on the project, Matt Partridge at Birds Eye said: “We are committed to reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill, and Biffa is instrumental in helping us to achieve that. It’s important to us, and it’s important to our customers.”

Biffa’s general manager Edward Pigg added that the partnership was “a good example of how food manufacturers can improve environmental performance and reduce long-term costs by putting waste management at the centre of their day to day operations”.

Maxine Perella