Marks & Spencer to recycle surplus food into fertiliser and biofuel
In a move which many environmentalists hope will be replicated across the UK, Marks & Spencer has today announced a deal with waste management group Shanks which will see waste food, unsold food or food past its sell by date collected by Shanks, in partnership with Severnside Recycling, and turned into fertiliser and biofuel.
The three-year contract has caught the attention of environmentalists up and down the UK, and around the world, and is part of Marks & Spencer’s long-term plan to send no waste to landfill by 2012. It is hoped that the recycling of daily waste will benefit farmers across the UK who will be able to use the fertiliser and biofuel for their day-to-day operations.
As more and more UK companies look into the benefits of recycling, both to the environment and in financial terms, we should see the rollout of similar plans across the UK with other well-known businesses. While many believe the UK was fairly slow in joining the recycling party there is no doubt that councils up and down the country and large businesses are now appreciating the positive PR that recycling attracts as well as the financial benefits to businesses and consumers alike.
