Biogas plant set to feed off commercial food waste in Wiltshire

Malaby Biogas will begin commissioning the Bore Hill Farm biodigester in Warminster during the second quarter of 2012. The facility will also take animal slurries, abattoir waste and spoiled non-woody crops.

The £5m plant will generate around 500kW of electricity to feed into the national grid as well as supply renewable energy to nine business units scheduled for development on the site in 2013. It will also produce 15,000 tonnes of digestate.

Malaby Biogas is currently in talks with several potential customers including farming contractors to supply them with the bio-fertiliser as an alternative to their existing petrochemical-based artifical fertilisers.

Company director Thomas Minter said: “There is growing pressure on businesses in the food sector to dispose of their waste in a more responsible and efficient manner. With our AD facility there are less waste transport miles.

Thomas’ brother Toby, who co-runs the business, added: “Having waste sorted at source reduces processing and transportation which reduces the carbon footprint of disposal. Reduction in all parts of the waste processing allows the overall cost of waste disposal for the producer to be drastically reduced.”

Maxine Perella