Why Camden is leading the way on biogas

People tell me I should allow comments on this blog and maybe I will one day, but I tend to think those who have things to say will usually get in touch. Here's someone who took issue with my stance on biogas from food waste.

One thing I forgot to say in my reply (below) is that he's absolutely right that we need reduce the amount of waste we create so we shouldn't be building energy-from-waste facilities that require large amounts of the stuff. All the more reason to build them small I'd say.

From: Tom
Sent: 11 August 2009 09:18
To: Cllr Alexis Rowell
Subject: Anaerobic Digesters

Dear Alexis,

Ecologist article on biogas.
Ecologist article on councils and biogas.

Any comments? And please don't mention Veolia's biogas filling station. It's a joke, right? It's a "green" filling station?! The biogas is created in Albury and carted back to London,more CO2 emissions in the process. And the organic waste is likely carted out to there as well. Where is the sustainability in this? And what type of fuel is used in the transport? Where is the at-source of generation processing of the waste? Looks like a "green-wash" project more and more.

Why not real sustainable solutions, dealing with the replacement of the dwindling fossil fuel resources, or a contingency plan, with conservation and efficiency as major contributors to a solution? Not a cart before the horse "solution", yet again?

And BTW, Anaerobic Digestion is only good as long as there is an abundant waste stream. When that resource diminishes, well then....? But what options have we got? The biogas solution seems to be the closest to some sort of reusable source we can get at the moment.

In Peace, Tom

From: Cllr Alexis Rowell
Sent: 11 August 2009 12:02
To: Tom
Subject: RE: Anaerobic Digesters

Hi Tom,

As far as I’m concerned biomethane from food waste is a win-win-win-win. It’s made from waste; it reduces CO2 emissions by 80% vs diesel; it creates no noxious emissions (which diesel does); and compost is created as a by-product. Much better than simply producing compost which is what we’ve been doing with our food and garden waste up until now.

We’re trialling biomethane in Camden – in one of our commercial vehicles, in a Veolia waste truck, and soon, hopefully, in some taxis. Yes, at the moment it’s coming from a landfill facility outside London (see photo), but remember that this is a pilot. The long term aim is for us to have an AD facility somewhere in North London that can provide us with biomethane and compost. And pretty soon the trucks that take our food waste to that facility or which bring us biomethane will themselves be fuelled with biomethane.

Biomethane from food waste is absolutely not a solution for the 800m private cars on the world’s roads – there isn’t enough organic waste. But there is enough for municipal fleets which anyway don’t usually leave the borough ie can be refilled at one filling station. And possibly some business fleets. Or better – taxis in urban areas.

Rgds, Alexis