About BiogenGreenfinch

“BiogenGreenfinch is unique.  It is the only specialist British anaerobic digestion company that can design, build and operate large-scale anaerobic digestion plants with a proven track record." 

Richard Barker, CEO, BiogenGreenfinch.

We take what everyone throws away – waste from the UK food chain.

In a low carbon process, we recycle waste food in our anaerobic digestion (AD) plants to make renewable energy. All that remains is a liquid, rich in nutrients, which we return to the land as a biofertiliser to grow crops, replacing fossil fuel derived fertilisers.

Our digesters are filled with food waste from homes, shops, pubs, restaurants, hotels, offices and the factories producing and processing our food.  Nothing is wasted: it is the truly green alternative to landfill: our AD plants are helping to make landfill history. No other alternative can match the environmental credentials of anaerobic digestion.

Disposing of food waste to landfill is no longer acceptable because of the damage it does to the environment and its contribution to climate change through methane and other gases escaping into the atmosphere.  Increasingly it is prohibited by regulations and made expensive through the imposition of special landfill taxes.  We must act now. 

Protecting the planet

BiogenGreenfinch: we’re a national company with offices in Bedfordshire and and Shropshire, designing, building, owning and operating commercial-scale anaerobic digestion plants for processing food waste.

Food waste is a serious problem – some 18 million tonnes is produced in the UK every year, of which roughly 6 million tonnes has to be collected by local authorities. No wonder these authorities are concerned, no wonder the whole food industry is concerned.

Treating food waste in an anaerobic digester is cost-competitive with landfill and other alternatives, and it is more environmentally sustainable.  It is recognised by the UK government, Defra, the Welsh Assembly, the Scottish Parliament, Friends of the Earth, the National Farmers Union and others as one of the best methods for the sustainable management of food waste.

In anaerobic digesters food waste breaks down into methane gas.  All this methane gas is captured and super-efficient gas engines then use it to generate renewable electricity and heat– all that remains is a liquid fertiliser, rich in nutrients, which goes back onto the land to grow crops, substituting for fossil fuel derived fertilisers. During the process, no methane is released to the atmosphere.  It is our contribution to protecting the planet.

†  Source: WRAP (Waste & Resources ActionProgramme)  www.wrap.org.uk: Household Food and Drink Waste in the UK, published by Waste & Resources ActionProgramme, Banbury, November 2009.  ISBN: 1-84405-430-6  www.wrap.org.uk/foodanddrinkwaste.

About our Plants

With our proven British technology and unmatched operating experience in the UK, we are in pole position to fulfill our plan of a network of anaerobic digestion (AD) plants across the country.

These plants will meet the growing demand from food producers, retailers, caterers, waste contractors and local authorities for AD facilities – and, of course, from farmers and landowners who understand the considerable benefits of using natural, nutrient-rich fertilisers to grow more food.

Of our three commercial AD plants, Westwood is the newest, opened in June 2009, and located near Rushden in Northamptonshire.  The other two are Twinwoods in Milton Ernest, Bedfordshire (opened in 2005) and Biocycle in Ludlow, Shropshire (opened in 2006).

Providing renewable energy

Westwood can process 45,000 tonnes of food waste each year producing 1.7 MW of renewable electricity, sufficient for 2,700 homes.  It also produces 35,000 tonnes of a superior liquid biofertiliser, enough to support 1,750 acres of growing crop.

Between them, Twinwoods and Ludlow can process 47,000 tonnes of waste, generate 1.5 MW of green electricity and make 33,000 tonnes of biofertiliser.
Our AD plants convert food waste into biogas – a mixture of methane and carbon-dioxide. The biogas is then fed into large gas engines to produce renewable electricity and renewable heat.  Over 90% of the electricity produced is exported to the grid, the remainder is used by the plant itself.  Similarly, around a third of the renewable heat produced is used in the AD process and the rest can be exported.  Other alternatives simply don’t come close, and composting does not produce energy at all.

With the UK committed to a target of 15% of electricity from renewable sources by 2020, our anaerobic digestion plants are already supplying both renewable electricity and renewable heat – and, unlike wind power and solar energy, they can run for 24 hours, 365 days a year.

Our Vision and Values

We promote, develop and utilise innovative British technology that meets many of today's environmental challenges.  We deliver a thoroughly sustainable solution that supports not just the environment, but the urban and rural food chain businesses and communities in which we operate.

Our vision for a sustainable business is to combine our sense of responsibility in a partnership model with clear commercial goals.  We believe in: 

• Acting responsibly and with integrity.
• We strive to act professionally at all times, treating others as we would wish to be treated ourselves and recognising our responsibilities to the community and the environment. 
• Striving for excellence.
• We always aim to do things better, seeking out innovative solutions and maintaining consistently high standards. 
• Developing people and teams.
• Our people are the heart that drives our business.  We value, respect and help one another, encouraging everyone to realise their potential. 
• Building strong relationships.
• We believe in developing mutually rewarding sustainable relationships with our customers and suppliers by recognising the benefits of long-term partnerships and by doing our best to provide an exceptional experience and service to our customers.