IKEA saves money through in- store food recycling scheme - Wrap

Case Study: IKEA
IKEA saves money through instore
food recycling scheme
Background
In October 2009, the well-known Swedish
furniture store IKEA partnered with Cyrenians
Organics Waste Recycling (CORE) to
implement a new approach to food waste
management in its Edinburgh store. Working
with CORE, IKEA was able to recycle food
waste and turn it into a useful product with
many different future uses. CORE is a social
enterprise founded in 2009, now part of the
MITIE Group. CORE established itself as the
1
first company in Scotland to offer an
economically viable alternative to landfill for
commercial and industrial food waste.
An in-depth assessment of IKEA’s food waste
practices highlighted that food waste was
produced mainly in the kitchen and cafeteria,
where a variety of different meals are served
to customers. Prior to October 2009, all food
waste from this store was placed with the
general waste and sent to landfill.
Key facts
6% less waste
sent to landfill as
a result of
recycling food.
99% of all food
waste produced in
store segregated
and sent for
recycling.
Significant
reductions in
greenhouse gas
emissions.
£1,200
approximate
savings each
month from
diverting landfill
costs.

Case Study
IKEA saves money through in-store food recycling scheme
How was the food recycling scheme
implemented?
Food recycling was introduced to the IKEA
store in Edinburgh using a two-phase
approach and by creating a key partnership
with CORE. Starting in October 2009, IKEA
successfully introduced the segregation of all
food waste produced during the on-site food
preparation process. This waste is now sent
for treatment in the local anaerobic digestion
plant, where it is processed to make fertiliser
and energy.
In June 2011, phase two of the food recycling
project started. This was targeted at tackling
the food waste produced in the cafeteria,
which was mainly composed of consumer
leftovers.
This phase involved IKEA doubling the size of
the cafeteria area and implementing a highly
efficient segregation scheme in the public
areas. A central recycling hub was built in the
cafeteria, with a three-bin system for food
waste, general waste and recycling. The hub
is user friendly and clearly explains to
customers where to place their waste, what
can be recycled and what goes to landfill.
Staff engagement was also seen to have an
important role, so detailed practical training
sessions on recycling were delivered to all of
the store’s cafeteria staff. The result of this
training was a 98% engagement rate from
staff within the first week.
The results
Before October 2009, no food waste was
recycled at IKEA’s Edinburgh store. Between
October 2009 and May 2011, CORE collected
an average of 2.1 tonnes each month from the
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kitchen. Phase two started in June 2011 and
in the six-month period between July and
December 2011 the average collection was 6.5
tonnes each month.
As a result of staff training and clear signage
that engaged customers, less than 3% of the
food waste collected had other materials in it;
significantly better than the national average.
Ninety-nine per cent of the food waste
collected by CORE was then processed at the
local anaerobic digestion plant and used to
produce both a nutrient-rich fertiliser for use
by farmers and a methane-rich biogas that
can be used to generate electricity to be fed
back into the National Grid.
Benefits
Food recycling represents a closed-loop
process, as the waste is turned into a material
that is resold as a fertiliser/soil conditioner
and used by farmers to grow more food. Food
recycling has clear benefits for businesses, as
well as a positive impact on the economy and
the environment. Recycling food enables
businesses not only to be compliant with the
new Waste (Scotland) Regulations, but also to
make financial savings and promote corporate
responsibility, which can, in turn, lead to
additional benefits such as an improved
customer base.
Implementing this food waste recycling
process has had significant financial and
environmental benefits. The store has
significantly reduced its greenhouse gas
emissions, saving 15.2 tonnes of carbon
dioxide and 6.8 tonnes of methane each
month, and creating monthly financial savings
of £1,200.
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