Keenan Recycling wins Newcastle University food waste contract

Leading organic waste management company, Keenan Recycling, is creating a greener environment for the North East and has recently started a partnership to improve food waste segregation at Newcastle University.

Keenan Recycling, which recently expanded into the North East as the first step of a UK-rollout, will work with Newcastle University across all 29 sites in the city to deliver a sustainable food waste management collection service on a weekly basis.

The waste management firm will work with the University to monitor food waste levels within café areas, canteens and office kitchen areas throughout the campus.

Alongside the weekly collection service, Keenan Recycling will monitor what is collected on an ongoing basis to identify any opportunities to improve services further, from establishing which food bins are hardly used to addressing issues such as re-training staff and students, hosting engagement events and improving segregation systems and signage.

Denise Connor, sustainability officer at Newcastle University, said: “Food waste segregation has been implemented on campus for some time but we are excited to have this new opportunity to improve the quality and quantity of the food waste we segregate.

“We look forward to working with Keenan Recycling and stakeholders across the University to increase engagement with food waste and build on the existing infrastructure for food waste collections.”

Headquartered in Aberdeen, Keenan Recycling recently expanded its services into the North East to bring a greener future to the region. The firm currently employs over 90 people in a variety of roles and has plans to expand its workforce into the North East over the next two years.

With its roots originally in the garden composting business since 2001, Keenan Recycling launched its own commercial food waste collection service in Scotland in 2010. The company now processes more than 150,000 tonnes of organic waste a year, turning it into compost and electricity.

Luca Pornaro, UK business development manager at Keenan Recycling, added: “Even though it’s early days, we have already seen an increase of food waste volumes collected from Newcastle University sites.

“We see this contract as an opportunity to engage at many levels with an important client such as Newcastle University, assisting the organisation with improving food waste segregation and providing an outlet for the waste with clear environmental benefits.”

Keenan Recycling would be delighted to offer free waste audits to any other education and further education establishment in the North East who are keen to tackle food waste responsibly and save money in the process.

For more information on Keenan Recycling, please visit www.keenanrecycling.co.uk.