Lancs recycling centre to turn food waste into electricity

Preparations are being made for the quiet revolution, which is about to take place at Farington Waste Recovery Park in Leyland.

It is planned that waste food will be collected from homes across the county by early 2026, and turned into electricity using machinery at the site.

Food waste is currently processed at Farington as part of the district councils' fortnightly general waste collections.

Leader of the county council Councillor Phillippa Williamson was joined by Councillor Shaun Turner; County Councillor Aidy Riggott; County Councillor Rupert Swarbrick; and County Councillor Michael Green (Image: LCC)

At the moment, residents only have the option to put food waste in their household bins unless they compost it themselves.

Under the proposed new scheme using food caddies, organic matter such as kitchen scraps will be collected weekly using specially designed new vehicles.

This will be deposited in a closed area of the waste recovery park, and packaging and contaminants removed by a press.

The resultant sludge will be held in a large airtight tank, where it breaks down and produces a biogas, which can be used to generate electricity.

All of the air from the treatment buildings is treated by a giant biofilter.

Councillor Shaun Turner with one of the food caddy waste collection vehicles (Image: LCC)

To find out more about the process, councillors went on a fact-finding mission to discover how the waste recovery park is currently run, and what will happen to residents' food caddy waste once collections begin.

Councillor Shaun Turner, cabinet member for environment and climate change at Lancashire County Council, said: "It was fascinating to go around the waste recovery park and to see how much goes on behind the scenes.

"We saw where the general waste comes into the plant, and the journey it undertakes as it is processed.

"I'm really looking forward to the time it will be able to take on the new food waste processing scheme.

"What might surprise some people is how the existing processes and equipment ensures that any odours are captured and then neutralised.

"Walking around outside, you could be forgiven for not knowing that the plant is capable of processing half of Lancashire's waste."

The Farington site is set to process around 30,000 to 40,000 tonnes of food scraps annually.

Thornton Waste Recovery Park also has equipment that could be used as a secondary site.

Councillor Phillippa Williamson, Lancashire County Council leader, said: "It was eye-opening to see behind the scenes.

"It is a very busy site with lots of complicated processes being undertaken. Everything was very well organised and extremely well run.

"The food waste caddies will really help us to make something out of nothing, as food waste is turned into electricity."