The Big Table Group (BTG) which operates eat-out restaurant brands Bella Italia, Las Iguanas, Banana Tree, Frankie & Benny's, Chiquito, Cafe Rouge and Amalfi, is collecting grease recovery unit (GRU) waste from commercial kitchens for conversion into biofuel during a trial with GreaseTech Drainage solutions and tech company Eco Clarity.
The collaborative M62 Corridor Project for recovery of fat, oil and grease (FOG) from food service establishment (FSE) waste leverages both BTG’s extensive network and Eco Clarity's northern FOG Recovery Hubs in Hull, Stockport and Stanlow.
Drainage and FOG management contractor GreaseTech will service and maintain all the grease recovery units (GRUs) and grease traps in the portfolio.
BTG group facilities manager Karl Tindall explains: “We’ve always been very conscious of putting GRUs in and managing our FOG correctly,” he says. “Now we’ve got an opportunity to know exactly where it’s going when it leaves our sites too.
“We’re the first hospitality company to do it, but we want to encourage other restaurant businesses to get involved too, and help open doors so we can get more awareness about the multiple environmental benefits of this initiative.”
Rob Thomas, commercial director, GreaseTech, adds: “We’ve been working very closely with Big Table Group to manage their grease management requirements and recognised the opportunity to present Eco Clarity to BTG as a solution for their FOG disposal.
We are excited to be part of this pioneering project, which we hope will provide some significant benefits to everyone involved, and the environment.
“Across our customer base, we already specify, supply, service and maintain GRUs at some 3,400 sites nationally, but Eco Clarity has made it possible to start recovering and reusing this waste.
The sampling shows that 60% of the waste is reusable, which represents a step-change in sustainable waste management for food service establishments.”
Fat, oil and grease – otherwise known as FOG - are common byproducts of restaurants and food processing facilities, but FOG disposal has long posed a challenge.
Currently too much FOG enters the sewers and drains, where it can harden, often results in blockages, which can significantly impact the public, the environment, and be costly to clear.
The alternative is landfill disposal, which fails to capitalise on the value of FOG as a potential renewable fuel source.
FOG is used and generated across food production, preparation and cooking, and unless managed properly, can cause foul smells and blockages that affect operations and customer service, as well as contributing to fatbergs – solid masses of waste in the sewer network.
FOG management solutions, including grease recovery units, must be installed and properly maintained and operated, but the disposal of the waste they collect has long been a challenge.
Eco Clarity’s first three FOG Recovery Hubs are at sites operated by Yorkshire Water, United Utilities and Argent Energy.
Each hosts the company’s containerised, patented separation technology, which turns tankered liquid waste containing FOG into a feedstock for biofuels, alongside a clean water stream ready for discharge or further processing for reuse.
“We could not be more excited about having Big Table Group and GreaseTech onboard for the next phase of this initiative, which is the M62 Corridor Project,” says chief executive, Chris Clemes. “The hospitality sector has a major role to play in helping us capture the benefit of FOG, and BTG with GreaseTech has opened the door wide to us.
“Once the Eco Clarity project is up-and-running on our sites, I’ll ensure that correct management of FOG is part of the audit.
Speaking from the operational side, we will include it in the training for all staff; from auditing perspective, NSF will check for it too.”
