London's Savoy hotel launches food waste recycling service

London’s Savoy hotel is fulfilling its commitment to tackling climate change by turning its food waste into renewable energy. Managed and operated by Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, The Savoy is believed to be the first five-star London hotel to recycle its waste in such a way and it is estimated that the equivalent energy generated from the hotel’s food waste will provide sufficient power to light 10 per cent of the guest rooms.

The landmark hotel in the West End has teamed up with the PDM Group – the UK’s largest food waste recycler – to ensure that its waste is reused in a positive way and not sent to landfill, as part of the hotel’s carbon reduction strategy. Before turning to PDM, The Savoy had spent some time looking for a food waste partner that could meet its operational needs and environmental aspirations.   With PDM able to provide a clean, flexible solution and generate green electricity through recycling food waste, The Savoy was keen to take up the service.   While The Savoy is closed for a £100 million restoration, PDM is recycling all food preparation and plate scrapings from the hotel’s prestigious restaurant, Simpson’s-in-the-Strand, which remains open. In the kitchen, food waste is now separated into designated bins supplied by PDM. These are collected on a weekly basis, which will increase to daily once The Savoy reopens, and taken to PDM’s facility in Silvertown, London, where it’s bulked up with other commercial, catering waste from across the capital and transported to the company’s organic biomass-to-energy renewable power plant.   Debra Patterson, environmental champion at The Savoy, comments: “The Savoy has always been a hotel of firsts – from electric lifts, to generating its own electricity – and we’re working hard to ensure that when The Savoy reopens it will be the most environmentally responsible hotel in London.  Finding a sustainable solution for our waste is an important part of this process and that extends to our food waste. We were delighted to find that PDM offered a solution that allowed us not only to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill, but to make a significant improvement to The Savoy’s overall carbon footprint by displacing fossil fuels – a completely sustainable solution.”   The new scheme has been well received by The Savoy’s catering team, as Amanda Godfrey, Simpson’s-in-the-Strand assistant manager, comments: “The recycling process was simple to set up and the whole team were excited about making a difference in this way.”   Philip Simpson, commercial director at PDM, adds: “We’re pleased to be working with The Savoy and helping it to set the benchmark when it comes to sustainable hotel management. For the hospitality sector, recycling food waste is the next important win, not only helping to improve environmental credentials but also saving costs when it comes to waste disposal.”   This new initiative also supports the aspirations of Fairmont’s own ‘Green Partnership Programme’ which focuses on key areas such as waste reduction, energy management, water conservation and innovative community outreach programmes.