Food Waste

At Ward we aim to recycle 100% of the food waste we collect

Ward helps reduce the environmental impact of food waste by collecting and transferring it to nationwide Anaerobic Digestion facilities that convert the waste into renewable energy (biogas) and other useful products. The UK wastes the equivalent to 1.3 billion meals each year.

Food waste comes 21% from spoilage; 45% from food preparation and 34% from consumer plates, on average. Only 12% of all food waste is recycled. Simpler Recycling aims to increase that.

What types of food waste can be recycled?

A variety of food wastes including category 3 Animal by-products can be diverted from landfill. Solid and liquid food and beverage production wastes, organic liquids and very wet wastes such as:

• Compost leachate
• Alcohols
• Fats and oils
• Packaged food such as stock clearances
• Factory breakdowns
• Out of date or QC failed products
• Restaurant and catering wastes
• Bakery and bread products

Domestic local authority kerbside collected food waste can also be recycled.

How much does it cost to manage food waste?

The business cost depends on amount of waste, frequency of collection and type of waste to be processed. With the introduction of Simpler Recycling from March 31st 2025, penalties for non-compliance will make it costly not to recycle your food waste and divert it from land fill. Ward offers a free waste audit to compare your costs.

Solutions to suit your business

• Bag collection
• General waste collection
• Glass, plastic and metal collection and recycling
• Redundant and damaged equipment removal and recycling
• Dry mixed recycling