UK’s first ‘poo bus’

UK’s first ‘poo bus’ goes into service between Bristol and Bath

The 40-seat “Bio-Bus” runs on biomethane gas generated through the treatment of sewage and food waste

The UK’s first bus powered entirely by human and food waste has gone into service between Bristol and Bath.

The 40-seat “Bio-Bus” runs on biomethane gas generated through the treatment of sewage and food waste.

The eco-friendly vehicle can travel up to 300km (186 miles) on one tank of gas, which takes the annual waste of about five people to produce.

It is run by tour operator Bath Bus Company and will shuttle people between Bristol Airport and Bath city centre.

The biomethane gas is generated at Bristol sewage treatment works in Avonmouth, which is run by GENeco, a subsidiary of Wessex Water.

GENeco general manager Mohammed Saddiq said: “Gas-powered vehicles have an important role to play in improving air quality in UK cities but the Bio-Bus goes further than that and is actually powered by people living in the local area, including quite possibly those on the bus itself.”

• A single passenger’s annual food and sewage waste would fuel the Bio-Bus for 37 miles (60km)
• Its combustion engine is similar in design to diesel equivalents in conventional buses
• Compressed gas is stored in dome-like tanks on the roof of the Bio-Bus
• The gas is generated through anaerobic digestion – where oxygen starved bacteria breaks down biodegradable material to produce methane-rich biogas
• To power a vehicle, the biogas undergoes “upgrading”, where carbon dioxide is removed and propane added
• Impurities are removed to produce virtually odour free emissions
• Compared to conventional diesel vehicles, up to 30% less carbon dioxide is emitted

Source: BBCNews Read more

Monday Moaning

Reports that America, England and Europe waste about 50% of their food from the farm to the mouth.

Produce is not perfect or ripening correctly or not the right shape or not the right colour, so it is left to rot on the farm. Transport methods damaging produce on the way to market. Storage in shops and supermarkets. Waste in preparing the food in the kitchen. Throwing out prepared food at home when there is too much; and finally, simply buying too much and it ends up on the compost or rubbish cans.

UK supermarkets reject ‘wasted food’ report claims

The report said half the food bought in Europe and the US ended up in the bin

Britain’s biggest supermarkets have been defending their practices after a report suggested that up to half of the world’s food is thrown away.

The Institution of Mechanical Engineers said the waste was being caused by poor storage, strict sell-by dates, bulk offers and consumer fussiness.

The British Retail Consortium said supermarkets have “adopted a range of approaches” to combat waste.

They also lobbied the EU to relax laws stopping the sale of misshaped produce.

According to the report – Global Food; Waste Not, Want Not – from the UK-based institution, as much as half of the world’s food, amounting to two billion tonnes worth, is wasted.

Its study claims that up to 30% of vegetables in the UK were not harvested because of their physical appearance.

‘Waste of resources’

The report said that between 30% and 50% of the four billion tonnes of food produced around the world each year went to waste.

It suggested that half the food bought in Europe and the US was thrown away.

Dr Tim Fox, head of energy and environment at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, said: “The amount of food wasted and lost around the world is staggering. This is food that could be used to feed the world’s growing population – as well as those in hunger today.

“It is also an unnecessary waste of the land, water and energy resources that were used in the production, processing and distribution of this food.

“The reasons for this situation range from poor engineering and agricultural practices, inadequate transport and storage infrastructure through to supermarkets demanding cosmetically perfect foodstuffs and encouraging consumers to overbuy through buy-one-get-one-free offers.”

Read more

The human race really needs to get its act together. Wasting 50% of the world’s produce is a hideous example of our civilisation.

The you can add to that waste when food is discarded because it has reached its validity date.

We have a large percentage of the world crying out for food, and we just throw it away.

There are water shortages throughout the world, and we waste it growing produce that will never be consumed.

Humanity really needs to wake up its ideas and put our feet back on the ground. We have been namby-pambied for too long when we won’t eat fruit or vege because it is the wrong shape or colour.

This has to stop!

There is nothing wrong with this tomato!

It still tastes like a tomato!

There is no defence for waste!

$75 billion of food wasted

Half the food in the US goes to waste

As the US celebrates Thanksgiving, a new study reveals that almost half the food in the country goes to waste – a statistic that should alarm an industry that is struggling to achieve greater efficiency in order to salvage profits.

Read more: Food production

.Yes, $75 billion of food wasted annually in the United States alone.

Now watch here:

 

And read the story on Reuter’s Photography Blog

Change the World Wednesday – 23rd Nov

Emerson & Erick flying a kite in the street

After a heavy tropical rainstorm overnight which I was afraid would threaten the peace and harmony, not to mention the power, here we are. The power cut never happened.

I mentioned last week about the ‘amendoeira’ tree in our front yard shading the house. In the photo of Emerson & Erick (my stepsons) you can see that the whole front of the house was in the shade afforded by that tree on a sunny day.

This weeks Change the World Wednesday challenge:

This week make a conscious effort to waste no food. If you need some ideas on how to accomplish this, please read the article referenced in the previous paragraph.

Or …
If you never, ever waste even a morsel of food … WOW … you are a hero. Pat yourself on the back and then sit back and relax in the knowledge that you are doing a great thing for the earth!

I would early love to say that I can sit back and relax, but I can’t.

I am very conscious of food waste at home. This comes from having a very wasteful wife many years ago. I am by nature frugal and I don’t like waste. My ex would hop across to the supermarket and buy silverbeet for a meal, when we had fabulous silverbeet in the garden; that used to bug the shit out of me.

The yield of a side of hogget

Veges & Vegans should avert their eyes and jump to the next paragraph.

I also used to buy a whole side of hogget (I don’t think Americans have this, it’s the stage between lamb and mutton) and butcher it in the kitchen, making packs of chops, the leg, stripping the fat off the flank for stewing and bone out the shoulder and stuff it for roasting. Then into the freezer rather than buy individual cuts of meat from the butcher which were more expensive.

I have also suffered some financially lean times during my life where frugality was essential; most of us have. I still have this tendency. I hate waste, but I’m not perfect, there are the odd times when a part cabbage ends up on the compost heap (I bought a small half and then only used a quarter) like last week. Then there are times when I cook too much, usually it goes into the fridge or freezer for left-overs, but sometimes I dally too long and it has to go. It’s difficult to cater for a household of one. I even think twice before I scrape the half eaten fritter off my plate (last weekend), I even cringe a little.

As I am not catering for Christmas this year… again, there won’t be any excessive waste. But I can’t say that I don’t have any.

So I guess I am part way between the two parts of the challenge. While I can’t relax, I don’t chuck much; I still remain vigilant.

Update:

I have added ginger to my garden. If you have a little space, it’s so easy to grow.

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