Portugal’s Continente has become the first hypermarket in the world to implement a pilot project that can transform organic waste from one of its stores into energy and fertiliser.
The Waste 2 Energy compact solution has been installed in the Continente GaiaShopping store and represents an integrated solution that aims to boost the circular economy in the retail chain, through the recovery of waste consisting of organic materials.
The equipment is distributed in modules installed in standard containers, in the GaiaShopping service park. The treatment unit capacity is set to the average of organic matter produced by a large supermarket, but can be increased by adding identical modules.
Besides the production of energy and fertiliser, the unit enables the treatment of waste at the production site, avoiding transport and the corresponding emissions of air pollutants.
The equipment also allows the reduction of greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions compared to technological options with less environmental value, in particular, in relation to landfill.
Continente has invested in this pilot project in partnership with BioWaste, a Portuguese company specialising in the development and commercialisation of biotechnology solutions, and with SEAB, a UK-based company specialising in the production of renewable energy from waste, which holds the patent to this solution.
© 2016 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Branislav Pekic. To subscribe to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine, click here.
