Anaerobic digestion expert, BioteCH4, continues to prove the value of food waste in the energy transition
Though the separation of food waste is still a relatively new concept in the realm of waste management, BioteCH4 stands at the forefront of environmental innovation. A true market leader in the recycling of bioresources, BioteCH4 pioneers the power of waste as a force for good, transforming discarded food scraps into renewable energy via anaerobic digestion, sustainably providing the equivalent amount of electricity to power upwards of 30,000 homes. With over 200 employees across six locations, the company processes a staggering 600,000 tons of waste each year, producing almost 300,000 MWh of energy annually and making a truly monumental impact on the UK’s wider sustainability journey.
In conversation in September 2024, Lee Dobinson, Chief Commercial Officer at BioteCH4, uncovered the importance of food waste in the cleaner energy transition
and what businesses can do to maximize recycling rates and reduce their environmental impact. Since then, a lot has changed within the market, most notably the roll-out of the UK’s Environmental Act 2021, which legislates that the majority of UK businesses must now separate and recycle their food waste, with local authorities also being required to provide food waste recycling bins for domestic properties in 2026. Now, one year after our previous interview, Lee offers an update on how BioteCH4 has progressed since we last spoke, as well as taking a deeper dive into how the company is supporting local businesses and communities to comply with the recent and upcoming changes to help build a better world for all.
“As of April this year, any businesses employing more than ten people are now required to have a food waste recycling solution in place, so over the last 12 months, we’ve been working with businesses to help ensure they’re compliant. We have also been heavily engaged with the public sector as they gear up to provide similar services to households across the country from next April,” Lee begins. “We’ve also seen a change of CEO in our business, with Christer Stoyell taking over, which has given us a refreshed focus. It’s been a really exciting 12 months. We have five anaerobic digestion facilities processing food waste into energy, and we have planning permission for one more.”
Whilst anaerobic digestion may be an alien concept to many households, BioteCH4 is committed to advocating its benefits and making food waste recycling as simple as possible for local authorities and communities. For one, recycling food waste into renewable energy through anaerobic digestion is a highly sustainable process: food waste – or feedstock – is broken down by bacteria in a digester tank and as the waste decomposes, it releases biogases that are captured and injected into the national grid or converted into electricity. Aside from generating renewable energy, this process also minimizes the volume of food waste going to landfill and reduces carbon emissions, contributing towards a circular economy. For residents, however, it’s as easy as a two-caddy operation.
“Each household will have two food waste caddies: a small one for inside the home and a larger one for outside,” Lee elaborates. “Throughout the week, you’ll decant those bags of food waste from the inside to the outside caddy and once a week, the local authority will come and empty that caddy. They’ll then do one of two things: they’ll either take it back to their waste transfer station, where we will then go and collect the material from them in bulk, then take it back to one of our processing facilities. Alternatively, if our facility is on their route, the local authority can deliver their waste lorries directly to us as they pass.
“We’re advocates for the anaerobic digestion industry; it’s still very much a ‘cottage’ sector in the sense that we’re all a bunch of SMEs in a growth market, so it’s hugely important that the industry works together for mutual benefit. As such, we have an industry body – the Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association (ADBA) – that does a good job in creating an environment where collaboration on things like innovation techniques can happen.”
As Lee elucidates, sustainability is very much a collaborative effort, particularly within the anaerobic digestion market. Consequently, BioteCH4 takes great care in nurturing relationships with its supplier network and local communities, placing an emphasis on educating others about the impact they can have with food waste alone.
“Across the business, we interact with lots of different entities. We have very longstanding relationships with our feedstock suppliers. In addition, we currently manage around one-third of the UK’s manufacturing food waste, so we have lots of relationships within the manufacturing industry; in terms of pretty much anything on a supermarket shelf that’s edible – either for humans or animals – we’ve been managing the production waste,” Lee explains. “It’s easy to assume that we want our partners to produce as much waste as possible, but actually, our focus is on reducing waste, condensing it into smaller parcels and maximizing the volume that the lorries can carry, so there’s less vehicles leaving their site – removing anything that adds additional cost to them or us. This is because we’re not a traditional waste management company; we’re all about producing biogas as opposed to processing waste, so if we can reduce the quantity and improve the quality, it’s a win-win for both parties.
“When it comes to local authorities, the relationship is slightly different; it’s all about engaging with the resident,” he continues. “We work very closely with the authorities to ensure that the right message is being delivered and that people understand exactly what food waste includes. We provide educational seminars at schools for primary, secondary and sixth form students and we welcome educational and community visits at our facilities where suitable to learn more about what food waste is and the importance of doing the right thing with it. We attend events such as the National Food Waste Conference, and we market ourselves to potential customers. We attended the Lincolnshire Show, and the engagement we had from people was incredible.”
Perhaps one of the company’s most valuable relationships is the one it holds with STORTEC. Under the same parent company umbrella, the BioteCH4 Group also owns STORTEC, a leading general contractor specializing in the design, manufacturing and engineering of liquid and gas storing solutions for the world’s wastewater management and renewable energy sectors. Employing its high levels of industry expertise, STORTEC builds BioteCH4’s infrastructure, paving the way for greater innovation and mutually beneficial partnerships.
“Our relationship with STORTEC is quite unique. They build our facilities for us; anything we need for our manufacturing, operating and processing capabilities, they can plan and build for us. We have a very symbiotic partnership and STORTEC’s in-house expertise means we have instant access to an excellent skillset,” Lee says. “However, that is just the tip of the iceberg for STORTEC, who have completed over 600 projects globally in the last six years for the water, wastewater, industrial waste and renewable energy industries.”
Indeed, BioteCH4 is a sustainability powerhouse – one that’ll continue to be a force for good in both the food and renewable energy markets for many decades to come. Building on its market-leading position, BioteCH4 is set to remain on its current growth trajectory, extending its circular economy back to its supply chain and haulage partners, to further reduce its carbon footprint.
The company will continue to work in alignment with the country’s updated environmental legislation whilst driving its core message by attending community events and championing the anaerobic digestion industry.
Lee concludes: “When we first started establishing our operations around 15 years ago, the vast majority of people had no idea what we were doing, but public opinion on separating food waste has grown considerably since then, which is really positive. It certainly shows that the communication is working.”