School Meals Matter - Ealing Profile Part 3

Tuesday 02 March 2010

In the final part of our profile of our Ealing Local Authority contract, we'll be focusing on our work on recycling and the environment. Our results in Ealing are fabulous, but most satisfying is the nature of the partnership we have with the council. By pooling our resources and expertise, we can make real changes to the impact we have on the environment and the local community. Here are a few ways we've done this.

At Harrison we are not just creating profits but building a legacy for the future - not just for our own business, but by contributing to the lives and well being of everyone we cater for. Given our position in the education sector, this means we aim to contribute positively to environmental challenges wherever possible - and by popular demand we have worked in partnership with Ealing Council to increase the recycling services offered to schools.

Ealing is one of the first boroughs in the country to implement a waste food recycling service. It is estimated that up to 70 per cent of a school's waste is made up of cardboard, paper, cans and food waste - and whilst nearly all Ealing schools have been offered a paper and can recycling service, not all are aware of it. We have worked closely with Ealing Council to promote recycling activities in schools to try and inspire children to take on this very simple but essential job.

The food waste collection roll out for the first phase of schools has been very successful, and made easier to manage by combining it with cardboard recycling. The roll out so far has reached 18 schools with a clear timetable for the remainder, with the simple aim of reducing the amount of waste going to landfill.

The process is simple but tangible: the cardboard put into recycling is baled and turned into new cardboard boxes. The biogas given off from the food waste will help power over 1100 homes and the liquid will be used to fertilise fields.

In addition to this, working in conjunction with Ealing Council we recycle used cooking oil, turning it into bio-fuels for Ealing's food transport vehicles.

We hope you have found our closer look at our partnership with Ealing interesting - and we would encourage you to continue to support the School Meals Matter campaign. For more information, click here.

Posted by Giles Cooper

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