Coupling traditional techniques with modern engineering,
the new process is compact, fast, energy-efficient, and highly
carbon positive.

Vertal’s first facility - re-using a neglected building in Mitcham,
South London - will process up to 100,000 tonnes of organic
waste each year, converting it into a nutrient-rich fertiliser for
use in agricultural food production.

This directly replaces petrochemical fertilisers, widely used
incommercial farming, which are derived from fossil fuels.

Located just eight miles from the centre of London, the plant
also offers a local solution to the capital’s chronic food
waste problem.

Every year, London’s restaurants, canteens, factories and
supermarkets throw away over 1 million tonnes of food waste.
Most of this currently goes to landfill.

Vertal’s founder - managing director Leon Mekitarian - said:
“Food waste is one of the biggest environmental problems the
UK faces. We have the solution.”

“We’re diverting waste from landfill, reducing road miles for
 waste transport, and replacing petrochemical fertilisers.”

“As a result, our process offers a major gain in both efficiency
 and carbon positivity over existing waste treatments.”

The Vertal process is an advanced Auto-thermal Thermophilic
Aerobic Digestion (ATAD) technology - in effect a super-charged
compost heap.

Unlike other energy-from-waste technologies, the process
harnesses its own latent heat, so needs no additional direct
energy inputs to pasteurise food waste.

Plants are small relative to their throughput, and can be readily
installed in existing buildings on urban industrial estates, close
to sources of waste.

Vertal plans to build facilities at a number of sites around
London and across the UK.