Bishops Castle Community College: Composing food waste case study
On-site management of organic
waste in the public sector
Bishops Castle Community College is using the
RIDAN composter to compost its food waste for use
on the school grounds providing a hands-on practical
learning experience for pupils.
On-site management of organic waste in the public sector
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Bishops Castle Community College: Onsite food composting for cost effective
waste disposal
Nature and quantity of waste treated on-site
Bishops Castle Community College is a joint secondary school /
sixth form college located in rural Shropshire attended by more
than 600 pupils and employing around 90 staff. The complex in
which the college is situated is shared with the local swimming
baths, community centre, cinema and theatre.
The college was keen to take control of their waste and reduce
both environmental costs and the costs of residual waste
collection services. Due to the agricultural nature of the courses
offered by the college, composting was deemed an appropriate
technology to choose. The introduction of a horticultural
composting operation within the extensive grounds was seen as
an ideal addition to the eco-friendly ethos of the college while
providing hands on learning experience for the pupils.
A snapshot waste analysis found that food waste contributed 21%
to the residual waste stream and of this 61% was edible food was
opposed to by-products e.g. peel and bones. The college identified
that the standard RIDAN composter was the most sustainable low
tech option to implement, offering value for money,. It does not
require a connection to mains electricity, has no on-going
maintenance issues or running costs, and has a low carbon foot
print.
The RIDAN has a throughput of 116 kg per week saving 2 tonnes
CO2e annually
On-site management of organic waste in the public sector
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Standard RIDAN Composter.
Input of 6 tonnes annually.
Emission savings: 2 tonnes CO2e annually.
Composter produces approximately 2 tonnes annually.
Cost £2,700.
Estimated 6 year payback period.
Annual savings on disposal costs of £312 expected to
increase to £600 by 2014.
Savings of £1,167 on the purchase of compost.
Operational aspects
The RIDAN composter was installed in February 2010 and support
given by staff and students has been highly important to the
success of the project. Kitchen staff put plate scrapings and food
waste from preparation etc into caddies which have been provided
free of charge to the college as part of the local council’s home
composting scheme. Caddies are collected by children who
volunteer to take it to the composter site a short walk from the
school requiring approximately 20 hours a year with no additional
staff costs or redeployment. Sawdust is sourced locally free of
charge and provides a free resource to mix with food waste
providing a good carbon to nitrogen balance for the compost.
Health and safety risks are minimised at the college by good
management, basic manual handling, keeping the area clean and
cleaning the caddies. RIDAN delivered the equipment on-site and
gave a 1 hour training session to illustrate the simple operation
and ensure understanding by the operators. A manual is also
provided and RIDAN staff are always on hand to offer support if
needed.
The RIDAN in-vessel composter cost £2,700 to install. Funding
was made available through WRAP which ran a grant scheme for
communities to work towards “Zero Waste”.
On-site management of organic waste in the public sector
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Each year savings of £312 are made on disposal costs by treating
food waste on-site which is expected to increase by at least twothirds to nearly £600 annually by 2014 as disposal costs are
expected to increase. Composting has reduced the need for two
bulk bins worth of rubbish to go to landfill every week.
Additionally the RIDAN composter produces 2 tonnes of compost
annually which has been valued as saving £1,167 each year based
on 30 litre bags if it was bought commercially.
Use of the compost product
The nutrient rich compost is used on-site for gardening and on the
vegetable garden due to its high carbon and nitrogen content. The
RIDAN composter itself has been a valuable contribution to
students practical lessons - allowing them to experience first-hand
the value of producing compost themselves on-site and the
importance of sustainable environmentally friendly solutions to
waste disposal.
Lessons learned
The science teacher at the school has charge over the composter
and believes it provide a real hands-on educational experience for
the students at no additional cost to the school. GCSE level
students take temperature readings and weigh the bucket of
waste before they put it in the RIDAN and carry out science
experiments. .
“We are delighted to be able to play our part in helping the area to
move towards zero waste. The composting unit will help the
college to save money and protect the environment. It will also be
a valuable educational tool for the students to learn more about
waste, horticulture and environmental science.” Gemma Mustoe,
lead teacher for Environmental and Land Based Science
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