Independent restaurant company The Big Table Group is partnering with grease management company GreaseTech Drainage Solutions and engineering technology company Eco Clarity to trial recovery of grease recovery unit waste from commercial kitchens for conversion into biofuel.
The companies are involved in the M62 Corridor project which will see kitchen waste its and oils collected from 25 BTG restaurant kitchens for re-use after processing in Hull, Stockport, and Stanlow.
Big Table Group operates some of the most recognisable brands in the eating-out market, such as Bella Italia, Las Iguanas, Banana Tree, Frankie & Benny’s, Chiquito, Cafe Rouge and Amalfi. Together with partners GreaseTech and Eco Clarity, the company is recovering GRU waste from
BTG group facilities manager Karl Tindall is optimistic about rolling out the trial to at least 230 BTG sites and encourages other food service businesses to get involved. “We’ve always been very conscious of putting GRUs in and managing our FOG correctly,” he says. “Now we’ve got an opportunity to know exactly where it’s going when it leaves our sites too.
“We’re the first hospitality company to do it, but we want to encourage other restaurant businesses to get involved too, and help open doors so we can get more awareness about the multiple environmental benefits of this initiative.”
Rob Thomas, commercial director at GreaseTech said: “We’ve been working very closely with Big Table Group to manage their grease management requirements and recognised the opportunity to present Eco Clarity to BTG as a solution for their FOG disposal. We are excited to be part of this pioneering project, which we hope will provide some significant benefits to everyone involved, and the environment.
“Across our customer base, we already specify, supply, service and maintain GRUs at some 3,400 sites nationally, but Eco Clarity has made it possible to start recovering and reusing this waste. The sampling shows that 60% of the waste is reusable, which represents a step-change in sustainable waste management for food service establishments.”
Fat, oil and grease – otherwise known as FOG – are common byproducts of restaurants and food processing facilities, but FOG disposal has long posed a challenge. Currently too much FOG enters the sewers and drains, where it can harden, often results in blockages, which can significantly impact the public, the environment, and be costly to clear. The alternative is landfill disposal, which fails to capitalise on the value of FOG as a potential renewable fuel source.
Eco Clarity’s first three FOG Recovery Hubs are at sites operated by Yorkshire Water, United Utilities and Argent Energy. Each hosts the company’s containerised, patented separation technology, which turns tankered liquid waste containing FOG into a feedstock for biofuels, alongside a clean water stream ready for discharge or further processing for reuse.
Eco Clarity chief executive Chris Clemes said: “We could not be more excited about having Big Table Group and GreaseTech onboard for the next phase of this initiative, which is the M62 Corridor Project. The hospitality sector has a major role to play in helping us capture the benefit of FOG, and BTG with GreaseTech has opened the door wide to us.
“Not only does sustainable management of FOG provide a valuable biofuel resource, it ensures that restaurant kitchens run more efficiently, avoiding risk of pipe blockages, non-compliance and reputational harm.”
