"It's now clear the planet’s problems are systemic…as fundamental as how we power and feed modern civilisation. People must see a positive choice they can take, rather than just avoiding negative ones"
Damian Carrington
Guardian’s head of environment
A revolution in urban food waste management is coming!
LEAP is a not-for-profit social enterprise partnership focused on fully harnessing the social, educational and environmental benefits associated with anaerobic digestion - a renewable energy technology.
Anaerobic digestion (AD) transforms food waste through natural biological processes into biogas; a clean fuel which can generate heat and electricity. Its by-products liquid fertiliser and soil conditioner can support food growing, increasing local access to healthy fresh produce. Compared to other renewable technologies such as solar or wind, AD offers the greatest employment opportunities due to on-going operation and maintenance needs. Its appeal lies in its ability to demonstrate a waste to fuel to food closed loop system.
The Vision
In Europe, AD is most frequently applied at large, expensive, industrial scales; whereas in the developing world small-scale AD is the norm. We wondered if small-scale AD could work here in the UK, helping schools, universities, social housing estates and community groups tackle food waste locally while delivering the social benefits we were looking for.
To this end, we designed a project to develop cost-effective small-scale AD systems, which maximise related employment, food access and educational opportunities. Project design and operational outputs will remain open source and be made widely available to community groups around the UK and beyond.
Innovation
In hosting this project, Camden could become a case study for this groundbreaking innovation, leading a UK-wide revolution in local food waste management.
Development Stages
This website will evolve alongside the project with updates posted here reflecting its development through the following 7 stages:
- Locate a test site
- University students, engineers and AD consultants collaborate in designing small -scale AD systems and related social outputs
- Build and test small-scale AD models
- Design and deliver educational programme, exhibiting multimedia work created locally
- Design and deliver community engagement activities
- Pilot AD systems in local schools and universities to form a borough case study
- Establish social enterprise prior to further rollout
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To find out more contact LEAP on |