UK Supermarket Will Be Powered 100% By Its Own Food Waste

Using an anaerobic digester to convert food waste to biogas, the Sainsbury’s supermarket chain plans to make its store in Cannock, Staffordshire, UK self-sufficient in electricity and take it off the national grid. The store will be the world’s first to be powered entirely by its own waste. Under Sainsbury’s plan, “after any usable food has been given to charity or sold to animal feed companies, the remaining waste is sent to a nearby anaerobic digester operated by Biffa (a UK waste management company),” Anthony reports. “The bacteria do their job and the resulting methane powers an onsite generator. The electricity is then be piped back to the grocery store, which is about a mile away.” No word in this story on any risk of methane leakage from the biogas operation.