Composting supermarket residuals

Sainsbury's, a leading British supermarket, recently contracted Alpheco Ltd. to compost produce trimmings and bakery residuals from its two Ipswich stores. Previously, fruit, vegetables, bread and pastries unfit for sale or gifting to charities, were compacted with plastic and cardboard in 30 cubic meter rol(offs and then landfilled. When Alpheco - seeking a regular supply of organics for use in the development of its containerized composting system -- offered to compost the organics, the idea was welcomed by the supermarket, provided it cost Sainsbury's no more than landfilling.

"Taking a systems approach, we opted for 120 liter wheelie bins," says Neil Winship of Alpheco. "They …