River Cottage Head Quarters has implemented a Rocket Composter from organic and food waste expert Tidy Planet to offer a sustainable disposal method for all food waste from the kitchen of River Cottage Head Quarters at Park Farm.
Renowned for championing quality local produce, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall has also designed River Cottage to be a low energy site, which is moving towards being as self sustaining as possible. Systems already in place that support this include; a wind turbine acting as one source of electricity for the site; the collection of rain water for use on the kitchen's gardens; and a biomass boiler, which is fuelled by clearings from local forests and provides heat and hot water for the barn and farmhouse.
The Rocket Composter will add to these sustainable solutions, with all food waste from River Cottage's kitchen now being recycled to compost. Having been trialled by River Cottage for the past few months, the Rocket Composter is now centre stage and fully operational, with all food waste disposed of into the Rocket on a daily basis.
Through the addition of waste woodchip, the Rocket transforms food waste into sanitised quality compost in around 14 days, which is used on raised beds and walled gardens at River Cottage to enhance the growth of crops and plants at the site.
Chef, broadcaster and campaigner, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, says: "Our ethos at River Cottage is to promote a sustainable way of living that celebrates the best of local produce. Composting is a fantastic way to support this and the Rocket will allow us to dispose of food waste sustainably, removing the need for this to be sent to landfill, where it only serves to damage the environment. We'll also be using the compost on some of our gardens to help nurture our crops to ensure we continue to produce the best quality food for our kitchen."
The River Cottage are using an A700 Rocket Composter, which is capable of composting up to 1400 litres of food and organic waste per week through aerobic decomposition. The Rocket creates the ideal environment for bacteria to break down all food and organic waste in 14 days, resulting in the production of compost. The Rocket is mainly powered by energy from the bacteria breaking down food waste during the composting process, with only a small amount of electrical power required to automate the turning process.
Simon Webb, Managing Director of Tidy Planet, says: "River Cottage has a fantastic approach to sustainability, with Hugh and his team having shown a real dedication to developing a truly low energy site. We have worked closely with River Cottage over the past few months to ensure that the Rocket is implemented in the best manner to provide a sustainable solution for food waste that now allows the team to recycle the waste onsite instead of transporting it to landfill.
"The Rocket also offers the additional benefit of providing a continuous supply of quality compost that is being put to good use on their vegetable plot. This process really closes the recycling loop by ensuring the food waste goes from "Plate to Plant", which works perfectly with River Cottage's from "Plot to Plate" ethos."
For more information on how Tidy Planet can help save the planet contact 01625 666 798 or hello@tidyplanet.co.uk and for more information on River Cottage and its sustainable journey go to www.rivercottage.net