Mitie will boost sustainability for food wholesaler Bidfood as part of a new five-year contract covering all aspects of waste management across the group’s UK locations.
Following a competitive tender, Bidfood selected Mitie as its waste partner due to its strong sustainability credentials and its shared commitment to environmental issues. A key element in the strategy will see Mitie implementing a circular economy approach, making sure excess food is used by charities and other organisations, rather than being thrown away.
As part of the contract Mitie will trial new waste management technology and innovation that will enable Bidfood to reduce its overall waste output and improve recycling rates. These trials will include food waste dryers, which remove water from food to produce a dried material used to fertilise soil; bin sensors, which monitor fill levels to improve the efficiency of collections, and reverse vending machines, which accept used cans and bottles so that they can be sorted and recycled. The company’s Manchester depot will act as the innovation hub and initiatives that prove successful will then be rolled out across other Bidfood premises.
In addition, Mitie has already started to support Bidfood, in their Choose to Reuse school campaign, which raises awareness on how best to reduce, reuse and recycle plastic. Mitie waste experts joined Bidfood teams touring schools across the country, teaching pupils about the impact plastic packaging is having on the planet.
Michael Taylor, Managing Director of Mitie Waste & Environmental Services, said: “We share a common desire with Bidfood to tackle sustainability issues, like food waste, reducing single-use plastic and recycling, so we are delighted to have entered this long-term relationship. We are confident that we can make significant improvements to boost sustainability that will benefit both companies.”
Peter Furst, Assistant Buyer at Bidfood, said: “Improving sustainability is a responsibility we all share. Working together is an important part of this and we believe that partnering with Mitie will help us deliver continuous improvement on our waste management. It will help us to optimise processes, which in turn will increase efficiency and ensure regulatory compliance.”
