Big Table joins grease-to-energy initiative

One of the UK’s leading independent restaurant companies is partnering with grease management company GreaseTech Drainage Solutions and engineering technology company Eco Clarity, to trial recovery of grease recovery unit (GRU) waste from commercial kitchens for conversion into biofuel.  
 
The Big Table Group (BTG) operates some of the most recognisable brands in the eating-out market, such as Bella Italia, Las Iguanas, Banana Tree, Frankie & Benny's, Chiquito, Cafe Rouge and Amalfi. Together with partners GreaseTech and Eco Clarity, the company is recovering GRU waste from 25 BTG restaurant kitchens for sustainable management.  

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 is optimistic about rolling out the trial to at least 230 BTG sites and encourages other food service businesses to get involved.  

“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 said, “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,” said  Eco Clarity 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. 

“Not only does sustainable management of FOG provide a valuable biofuel resource, it ensures that restaurant kitchens run more efficiently, avoiding risk of pipe blockages, non-compliance and reputational harm.” 

Clemes has his sights on the rollout of 30-40 FOG Recovery Hubs across the UK and bringing in more hospitality companies is a big part of that vision. For Tindall, education and training will form a big part of his mission at BTG. 

“When GreaseTech put in a new GRU unit, they train the staff on that equipment,” he explains, “but we also have an internal training scheme that NSF verifies. 

“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.” 

Sharing his commitment to the aims of the M62 Corridor Project, Tindall says, “It’s a no-brainer for the hospitality sector. All sites should be GRU-compliant anyway, and if Eco Clarity can ensure that waste is safely taken away and reused, then let’s do it.” 

Taxonomy

• Water