Falling Foul of Food Waste Regulations?

Food Waste Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2015

From 1st April 2017, food business operators are prohibited from depositing food waste in a public drain or sewer, or in a drain that connects to a public drain or sewer.

Waste (Scotland) Regulations 2012/Section(2K)

From 1st Jan.2016, food business operators are prohibited from depositing food waste* into a public drain or sewer, punishable by a spot fine of £300 and up to £10,000 upon prosecution.

Waste (England & Wales) Regulations 2011

A ban on food waste* disposal into a public drain or sewer is currently pending legislative approval through an Environmental White Paper Bill in Wales’ Assembly.

Food (Safety and) Hygiene Regulations (England, Wales & N. Ireland) 2016

Food business operators are required to have food safety and hygiene management control procedures in place and to demonstrate compliance around HACCP principles.

• Organic hydrocarbons constitute less than 20% of total food waste* by composition
• 96% of the UK public depend upon the main public drainage & sewerage system

FOOD WASTE REGULATIONS
 
Wet waste food particles will inevitably be discharged through plugholes during any wash-ware discharging operation, unless suitable food-to-drain prevention measures are in place. This never-ending food supply leaves a trail back to the premises that attract pests.
 
Sink strainers can only restrict some larger food particles* from waste water discharges and it is important that commercial food operations install food trap interceptor tanks which are adequately designed to trap both large and fine food sediment particles through settlement as well as the free floating organic hydrocarbon component through flotation.
 
A commercial food trap interceptor should incorporate a regular removal regime of all these trapped food waste particles, so as to prevent them from building up and bypassing down stream into the drainage system. 
 
The food trap can be categorised as non-complex equipment, requiring only gravity to allow settlement and does not need any moving parts or power supply for it to operate. The sealed tank unit should have a removable cover to allow complete internal access, for both inspection and for the regular removal of all the intercepted food particles.
 
 
FOOD HYGIENE REGULATIONS
 
Food Business Operators should be able to demonstrate to their local authority compliance officials, that they have management control procedures in place that are designed to prevent food waste from entering the public drain and comply with all current food law.
 
From 1st April 2017 food business premises that continue to discharge using the drainage system as an illegal dumping ground for disposal of food waste, through non-intercepted pipework will be deemed to be utilising structurally inadequate plumbing and drainage.
 
Local authority officials who accept self-attestation in place of physical evidence of compliance with current food law should file this in documented form for reference, should future issues arise indicating a challenge to the contrary, or should a conflict with another intergovernmental department later develop.

• More than 90% of wash-ware food particles* can pass through a 5mm strainer
• Local authorities can request drainage structure layout with food trap position

How to select a Food Trap Interceptor  …

HYGIENE

Select a Food Trap that is completely sealed from the kitchen atmosphere to prevent escape of foul sewer gas.
 
ACCESSIBILTY

Ensure that there is total access to all internal compartments within the interceptor unit to allow complete removal of all food sediment.

CAPACITY

Select a Food Trap that has sufficient storage volume to retain the recommended optimum retention of one months’ throughput and a minimum of two weeks worth.
 
CONVERGENCE

Design and group the kitchen wash-down appliances with their plumbing and drainage layouts to converge at single centralized interception point/s.
 
POSITION

Select the installation location of the Food Trap Interceptor to be under-ground and outside* from the kitchen as the first preference option wherever possible.

• 98% of chefs and food business operators prefer their interceptor trap location outside*