Macclesfield based Tidy Planet, along with Dorset-based partners Eco Sustainable Solutions, have seen their technology used to convert food waste to energy at the Extreme E off-road electric vehicle racing championship latest meet in Dorset on 18-19th December.
The Extreme E global championship takes off-road motorsport to remote locations around the world to put electric vehicles to the test and promote sustainability, with this year’s events taking place across a range of extreme conditions, taking in courses in Saudi Arabia, Greenland, Senegal and Italy, as well as the UK.
As part of its mission, the Extreme E is now exploring how to use food waste generated at race sites to better use, using technology from Tidy Planet.
The waste solutions firm will provide the race organisers with food waste drying technology. This will remove the moisture and sterilise the material – transforming it into a coffee-granule-like powder – so it can be stored safely for months on end and transported without rotting or smelling following the Jurassic X Prix event in Dorset this month.
The end-product will then be taken 12 miles northwest of the Bovington meet to local organic waste processor Eco Sustainable Solutions’ anaerobic digestion plant in Piddlehinton, where it will be turned into biogas and converted into renewable energy. Once processed, Eco Sustainable Solutions will be able to calculate how many kilowatts of electricity the resulting food waste equates to.
Huw Crampton, sales manager at Tidy Planet said ahead of the event,
“It’s a fantastic opportunity to be supporting Extreme E with their Dorset event.
“We’re experienced in providing this kind of equipment to remote locations all over the world – from oilfields in Azerbaijan to luxury island resorts in the Maldives – we know that food waste is tricky to store and treat in such challenging environments, particularly those with high temperatures. And due to the lack of infrastructure to process it in such remote places, it’s better to have a product that you can store safely and wait until it’s possible to move all the material in bulk.”
Tristan Dampney, marketing manager at Eco Sustainable Solutions, added:
“Being a part of this pioneering sporting event is a great fit for us, as we process waste to create the energy source the Extreme E vehicles require – electricity.
“We’re passionate about the environment and creating sustainable solutions that reduce landfill and have a positive impact on our planet.”
Extreme E’s utility manager, Andy Welch, concluded:
“Sustainability and environmental care are deeply important to Extreme E – after all, the purpose behind the series is to raise awareness of climate issues.
“At the Dorset event, we’re aiming to reduce waste where possible – with all staff bringing their own reusable plates and cups – and where it’s not, we want to implement closed loop solutions with the smallest possible carbon footprint.
“For the UK event, we have the ideal infrastructure close to the race, but when we travel abroad this isn’t always the case – meaning we can’t guarantee that the waste won’t end up in landfill. And this is something we wanted to change. We know that if we bring the material back with us, we can ensure it isn’t landfilled, but we needed a way to help us hold on to over three weeks’ worth of food waste, hence the call to Tidy Planet.”