As traders the waste is still inevitable

"It took to look to the Bel-strategic to find une solution of methanation to our unsold", sighs Pierre Frisch, Director environment of Auchan. For three years, the sign is converted to this mode of recovery still confidential food waste in France. 15 Stores in the North of the France began to sort food unsold in specific dumpsters.

The products of the RADIUS boulan-workloads, fruits and vegetables, meat, fish or flowers are expiration dates, climate variations in purchases, sometimes oversized supplies, etc. Supermarkets are found every day with food not saleable but still consumable, they usually give to food banks. The rest is thrown. In the Northern Auchan stores, these waste join dumpsters in various formats. In summer, the containers are smaller to adapt to the decline in consumption. The winter cold to retain longer waste without odor problem. "We have signed a partnership with the Belgian industrial Vanheede, which recycles scrap within a radius of 300 kilometres of its plant." "He has a machine that knows how to separate the power of its packaging, which avoids a significant workforce," says Pierre Frisch.

74 Recycling rate

Packages leave the recycling and organic joined a méthaniseur. This large closed tank is home to a little ragoûtante soup of anaerobic bacteria which are fermenting organic waste. Is from the (20-50 CO2), methane (more than 50), water and material ("digests") recoverable by agricultural land. Methane turns his side engine which results in a generator of electricity. The site is self-contained energy, because 25 of the electricity used to power the plant, the rest being resold on the Belgian network.

This method however still low yields because of the presence of water. The model is profitable only if the providers of "fuel" as Auchan participate in its funding. "We do not direct savings in this case, but expenditure savings, because we do not send our fermentable waste in landfill centre, which amounts to 120 euros per tonne." "Vanheede delivery is less expensive and we are good for the planet", justifies Pierre Frisch.

Fifteen stores delivered year last 3.100 tonnes of fermentable waste, either a relative gain for Auchan of 120,000 euros and energy produced 525 megawatt hours. This new sector resulted in the stores concerned, achieve in 2009 a rate of recycling of waste of 74, whereas the average of 120 Auchan stores is 63.

The sign seeks to generalize this approach, convinced that the cost of removal and transportation will become more and more high and fermentable waste will be banned from landfill in the term. Since a few months, three new stores in Nice, Villetaneuse and Soisy came close for small experimental pilot of methanisation. "We produce total 180.000 tonnes of waste food and non-food, which we could méthaniser 48.000 tonnes which may be given to food banks." This represents 20 to 25 gigawatts of power, or the energy consumption of 5,000 households, promises Pierre Frisch. But the France, which has no plant methanization of sufficient size near our stores, was far behind in this area.

In reducing the waste upstream, she "obsession" makers of the sign: "give to food banks, is good, morally, but we would prefer all sell course." As traders, the waste is still inevitable. We are required to take risks in purchasing large quantities, to offer attractive promotions for example. We therefore recognize a certain right to the error.