Waitrose is set to become the first UK supermarket chain to recycle food waste as part of a national food-recycling scheme.
In the first phase of the scheme, five Waitrose stores, including two in Northamptonshire, have been chosen as pilots for a process that leaves behind an odourless organic fertiliser for crops.
The food will be heated to release gas that will then be turned into electricity. The electricity generated will go into the national grid and Waitrose hopes it will make enough energy to power 500 homes.
Branch manager at Kingsthorpe, Northampton, Simon Gartside said: “It is an extremely environmentally friendly way of disposing of food waste and we are delighted to be one of the first food shops in the country to trial it.”
It also means less food waste goes to landfill. Gartside said: “Operationally, it has been very easy for us to integrate this system into our branch.”
Waitrose and Northamptonshire County Council are researching how to extend the scheme across the county, and Waitrose hopes to roll out the initiative across the UK.
