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Updated Jul 28, 2014

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MPs call to ban food waste in landfills

According to recent Government figures, up to 8.5 million tonnes of local authority-collected waste in England is sent to landfills.

The damning figures have caused calls for a ban on all food waste from entering a landfill, and end the "throwaway society" that has emerged.

The BBC have estimated that "of the 7.2m tonnes of food thrown out every year, only 400,000 tonnes are collected separately for recycling in the UK", a shocking statistic in times of environmental and economical challenges.

MPs reportedly want to introduce separate food collections for composting or making biogas, renewable energy and fertiliser through the anaerobic digestion process.

Sainsbury's hit the headlines this week, after announcements they would run one of their stores entirely through anaerobic digestion waste processes. It is said Sainsbury's produce enough energy already through this technique across the country to power up to 2,500 homes.

Mike Barry of Marks and Spencer told the Environmental Audit Committee, "The number one thing that the Government can do to help us is to simplify the collection of waste in the consumer's home."


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