CIRCULAR BIO-ECONOMY AND FOOD WASTE: DESIGNING A BLUEPRINT FOR SOCIAL HOUSING ESTATES
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Kent
Department Name: Kent Sch of Architecture
Abstract
Food waste can become renewable energy and fertiliser. This partnership will exchange technological knowledge and design skills to co-design a circular bio-economy waste food system (anaerobic digestion, composting and food growing) and a blueprint allowing repeatability of this process, for a London social housing estate, together with the residents.
Publications
| Description | This design partnership led to the development of a waste food collection and processing system that can be localised in residential developments such as social housing, in which the beneficiaries of the system are the residents. The system includes not only the collection of food waste, its transformation into nutrient and biogas, and the production of food, but also the co-design of the integration of the system in the communal spaces, with a placemaking exercise resulting ibn the improvement of the spatial quality of the social housing estate. During the project: Residents increased their awareness and knowledge regarding food waste and food waste processing Suitable space and effective spatial integration to scale up the existing processing plant (anaerobic digester) to serve the entire estate was identified, as well as space to produce food, and process and sell it locally A study was developed identifying costs of the implementation of the system and the income generated through nutrient recovery and food production, which demonstrated its economic viability At full capacity, the system can process 1,665 kg per week. This, combined with intensive food production to utilize the nutrient generated through food waste processing, can enable training and new jobs. To ensure replicability across other social housing estates the entire process was conceptualised and summarised in a blueprint illustrating phases, conditions and organisation. |
| Exploitation Route | The blueprint will be used by LEAP to demonstrate and inform possible clients such as local authorities about this system. The full version of the blueprint contains data visualised in tables and diagrams that demonstrate the economic viability of the system. It also contains text and illustration presenting the several steps to implement the system of waste food collection and processing, and its spatial integration within the social housing development. A short version of the blueprint, without sensitive data, will be made available open access by LEAP on their website and by the University of Kent, through the academic outputs' repository. |
| Sectors | Agriculture Food and Drink Communities and Social Services/Policy Creative Economy Education Environment |
| Description | The blueprint is being used by LEAP to promote the services they provide to local authorities and other possible clients, hence leading to the replication and implementation of new localised waste food collection and processing systems. In turn, this will lead to reduce the emissions connected to food waste and food consumption, by reducing carbon emissions and food miles. It will also help improve the residents' food security and health by making fresh and healthy produce available. More generally, this pilot project and its findings will be instrumental to seek funding for more ambitious projects focusing on resource efficient urban farming. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2022 |
| Sector | Environment |
| Impact Types | Societal Economic |
| Description | Meeting with Tower Hamlets Local Authority |
| Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| Impact | As mentioned above, the meetings were aimed at learning form the pilot about the benefits of a local - as opposed to decentralised - food waste collection system, and how the food waste can be part of a circular economy system. The Teviot pilot is a demonstrator showing the benefits for local authorities to invest in a network of decentralised small scale food waste recycling stations, rather than large scale composting or anaerobic digestion units, located in residential neighbourhoods or centres such as hospitals and universities. |
| Description | Collaboration with LEAP |
| Organisation | LEAP micro AD Ltd |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | LEAP is a SME using technology, including anaerobic digestion technology, to address the problem of food waste. LEAP's vision is to make managing food waste easier and more useful, and contribute establishing local networks of decentralised waste solutions to create social value and employment opportunities while delivering environmental benefits. LEAP runs a pilot on the Teviot social housing estate in London, designed to boost the local economy, strengthen community resilience and trial a low-cost food waste system appropriate for a dense urban environment, The whole food waste system includes food waste collection, food waste processing, nutrient recovery and use of nutrient to grow food. The ambition of the pilot is also to understand how these phases can be spatially integrated within the social housing estate while improving the quality of the public realm. Also, one of the objectives of this pilot is to develop a blueprint which will ensure repeatability and scalability of the pilot. The blueprint can be also used to document the process to possible future LEAP's clients such as social housing providers, local authorities and developers. As academic partners, we have provided experience in spatial design, construction and placemaking, instrumental to the successful integration of the food waste system within a social housing context. We have also applied design thinking to the design of a service, which is essential to increase the efficiency and improve the user experience of the local waste collection approach. Finally, we have developed and drafted the blueprint, which will become an invaluable tool for LEAP to promote expertise and develop new projects. |
| Collaborator Contribution | LEAP's contribution to the project consists in sharing technical and organisational knowledge about the food waste sector through knowledge exchange activities. One of the areas of expertise of the PI and the RA is urban agriculture. Knowledge exchange activities will help consolidate the research team's expertise on the circular economy applied to food waste as well as on technological aspects of anaerobic digestion and nutrient recovery systems, which are very relevant to studies on urban agriculture. |
| Impact | The blueprint titled: 'SOURCE - Urban Circular Economy Bio-resource Management: a Guide for Local Authorities and Developers' The collaboration was multidisciplinary in that it required expertise in architecture/urban design, mechanical engineering and agronomy |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Community engagement workshop in Teviot social sousing estate |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | To co-develop solutions to integrate the waste food system within the communal spaces of the social housing estate, a workshop was organised in which participants were asked to choose between different waste collection models presented to them, comment on the desirable appearance of the food recycling station, the food growing spaces, and on the management of these spaces. The feedback received provided insights that were used to design the food waste collection system. Participants highlighted points to be addressed. In particular: 1) ownership of the food waste processing and production scheme which should be given to a local organisation or the estate management, although residents should retain the right to propose/decide amendments to the scheme; 2) good appearance of food waste collection and processing infrastructure; 3) the use of ornamental plants in food growing spaces to increase their attractiveness; 4) ensuring that food waste processing and production is not competing with common areas of the social housing estate, which are important to the community. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |