Driving food waste down

My office staff take great delight in reminding me as frequently as possible that I'm not as young as they are, I'm sure it happens in just about every workplace in the country similarly, my greying hair, my inability to stay awake past half past ten, listening to radio two (and remembering the tunes) snoring when on weekends away mountain biking and having pictures of Barry Sheene by my desk rather than some scantily clad "Girl Aloud".

I'm happy to let them have their moment though, as on many occasions I make a point of letting them know exactly who's boss.

Hannibal Smith, cigar smoking, grey topped, head honcho of the crack "fix it" A -Team. That's me.... and I let the lads know it, "I love it when a plan comes together", I live for the days I can say that to the office.

Fantastic....... they haven't got a clue what I'm on about.

I've had one of those days this last week...

Rocky's had the fortune of working with a county council and a not for profit enterprise. The project was for the NFP to compost the council collected food wastes, process it at their site, use the material for growing and re-use by the council. The council really have worked hard on this food waste project, invested and spent a lot of time talking compost, they really should be credited.

Problem being, the composting site doesn't quite exist. It would do, but it needs a lot of money to make it so. Imagine an area the size of a swimming pool, now put it on the side of a hill and fill it with grass. That's kind of it. The money's run out, we're struggling now and food waste composting is looking bleak in the short term.

Enter stage right: "Howling Mad" Murdoch we'll call him for all those who know who the A team are.

Mr Murdoch works for a huge construction company and he meets with Mr T from the council. Mr M asks Mr T; "we're building you this massive by-pass for you over the next several years, but we want the construction project to be as "green as possible" but we're struggling with one item, food wastes, is there any way the council could collect or recycle our food wastes" ?

T:"We could collect your food wastes, but we've got a proposal for you.... We've been working with a social enterprise that needs the basics of a site building, you build me a site, I'll get the food wastes collected and a social enterprise will compost it and use it for a growing project, how's that for a suggestion?"

M: "Brilliant, Growing what ?"

T:" Ohh, local plants, shrubs, things like that"

M:"Could they grow us seedlings and saplings to plant by the by-pass?"

T: "Ohhh yes"

" I love it when a plan comes together".... I had to say it.

A multinational construction company, helping out a social enterprise, composting food waste from the construction project, growing in the compost plants that will be used in the by-pass landscaping, a heart warming story about food wastes and collaboration if ever there was one.


Rocky and .....