Waste
Management
Food and sewage waste are the main sources of climate-changing emissions (methane and CO2) from waste when left to rot.
At 0.2 tonnes per household per year, this is relatively small. However, given the sewage situation in the community, there may be potential for a solution, particularly when combined with a heat network.
How It Works
Biowaste
Sewage and food waste are fed into the anaerobic digester
Anaerobic Digestion
Breaks down the waste and releases methane gas
Heat Generation
The methane gas is burnt to generate heat used in the heat network
In the villages of Somerford Keynes and Shorncote homes have private cesspits. While at Lower Mill Estate there is a private sewage network on-site that stores and pumps sewage to the local Thames Water sewage planet.
In both cases, there is private control over the sewage and therefore potential to divert sewage into a community anaerobic digestion facility, where the outputted methane could be burnt to provide heat into the community heat network.
Whether our community-scale makes this a variable option will require some professional advice, as would the availability of any government grants.