Food and drink waste targeted

Cutting waste in the food and drink sectors will be the focus of a new collaborative project involving University of the West of Scotland (UWS).

The partnership project, involving UWS and Dunnet Bay Distillers, has been boosted via a £10,000 award from the Scottish Food and Drink Net Zero Challenge Fund.

Professor Andrew Hursthouse, Professor of Environmental Geochemistry at UWS, said: “Ceramic materials are widely used in the food and drink sector. The options for their recycling, due to their high material stability, poses a basic problem in recovery and reuse within the product life cycle, due to the high energy demand and composition – particularly of the glaze used on ceramics – impacting on environmental and economic viability.

“Ceramic products are found across the food and drink industry and the outcomes of this project will benefit the wider sector.”

The Scottish Food and Drink Net Zero Challenge Fund aims to encourage businesses to take action on their environmental impacts in a meaningful way, by partnering with world-leading experts and academics in engineering, manufacturing, biotechnology and data science that Scotland is blessed with.

The new UWS project aims to map the use and production of ceramic waste materials in the food and drink sector. Ceramics are problematic for recycling and the research will help to identify direction to further reduce environmental impact of the drinks sector, in relation to carbon management.

Ceramic bottles are part of Dunnet Bay Distillers brand identity and, while they currently attempt to maintain bottle life through a ‘Bottle for Life’ initiative and refills, this project will look at ways to further extend the life of materials.

Sarah Lyons, Environmental Manager, Dunnet Bay Distillers added: “Ceramic exists in many forms and this study may enable the industry to continue sustainably with using ceramic bottles, but could also provide a framework for all ceramic users where alternative materials for their product/usage is not possible.

“Minimising waste in the business and for our customers is important to us, both from a carbon perspective and in reducing waste to landfill, as we try to move to a more circular economy.  We also hope that the outcomes of the project will have the potential to explore local options for up-cycling and re-cycling, that could lead to more opportunities to engage with visitors and the local community”

Launched by Scotland Food & Drink Partnership and Interface in October 2021, the Net Zero Challenge Fund is a key initiative of the Scottish Government-backed industry Recovery Plan.