Greenergy has already invested £50 million in its biodiesel production facility in Immingham on the east coast of England in order to efficiently process used cooking oils. Now, as part of a partnership with Brocklesby Ltd – a specialist in recycling edible oils – the plant is now being used to make biodiesel from high-fat solid foods such as pies, sausage rolls, pastry and crisps which can't be sold because they are mis-shapen, overcooked or past their sell-by date. 

The oils and fats in these foods are extracted through a process developed by Brocklesby Ltd and are then further purified by Greenergy, before being converted into biodiesel. The finished biodiesel is then blended in small quantities into the diesel that Greenergy supplies to petrol stations nationally.

The firm says that any overmatter will be used in the future to make solid biomass fuel pellets or briquettes, or more fuel for cars in the form of bioethanol. 

Andrew Owens, Greenergy chief executive, said: 'The quantities of biodiesel that we’re currently producing from solid food waste are small, but we’re expecting to scale up so that this soon becomes a significant proportion of our biodiesel. To put it into context, just one of these new facilities could handle enough waste pies or crisps to fill a cruise ship.  With multiple plants, the potential for this kind of technology to reduce fuel emissions is considerable.

'It’s great to be taking these products, which would otherwise have gone to landfill or compost, and turning them into a new source of fuel.'