Ludlow Food Centre waste converted into power
Ludlow's award-winning food centre will be converting its waste into renewable energy on a permanent basis after the success of a pilot scheme.
More than 20 tonnes of food waste from Ludlow Food Centre has already been taken by new local firm Lutra Ltd – producing enough biomethane to run a small van for 17,000 miles.
The centre, which was recently named the Great Taste Shop of the Year at the national Golden Fork Awards, will now be providing food waste to the firm, based in nearby Woofferton, on an ongoing basis.
Michael Chesshire, owner of Lutra Ltd, said the pilot had started in February and proved a success. Currently, he puts the gas towards heating the on-site digester, a heating scheme and even running his Aga.
He said: "This is still a small project, but it has the potential to become much bigger.
"We were initially dealing with waste from local farms, but then saw an opportunity to work with businesses such as Ludlow Food Centre and a number of local pubs and restaurants. We're currently doing collections across these companies twice a week. The success of our partnership with Ludlow Food Centre demonstrates there is a big future for small ideas."
The Ludlow Food Centre will also soon not just be producing green energy, but using it, as permission was given in June for a 5MW solar farm on a former quarry site nearby at Bromfield, which will provide electricity for the complex.
Rose Moore, operations manager at Ludlow Food Centre, said: "
We really look forward to seeing how Michael uses our food waste over the next 12 months, and how our relationship can develops as the business goes from strength to strength."
