A WASTE digester in Farleigh Wallop opened its gates to the public for a series of guided tours.

More than 50 people came for the open day at the Tamar Energy anaerobic digester at Kennel Farm.

The plant, which opened at the end of last year, takes around 30,000 tons of food waste per year, which would otherwise have ended up in landfill.

The waste food comes from local authorities and businesses like supermarkets. It generates around 1.5mega-watts of electricity for the National Grid, which is enough to power 3,000 homes, and also produces a nutrient rich fertiliser which is used on neighbouring farms.

Mat Stewart, director of operations, feed stock and organics, told The Gazette: “We are very proud of what we have built here, and we just wanted to give people the opportunity to see what it is all about.

“It has gone very well and everyone has had a better understanding of what we do and why we do it.”

The tours started with a look at the reception hall, where machinery sorts the waste food from any packaging and contaminants.

The waste food is then passed through the oxygen-free digestion plant, where it is broken down by micro-organisms, before it is pasteurised.

Biogas produced during the process is used to generate electricity, leaving the fertiliser.

Paul Bowditch, of Hoursome Court, Beggarwood, Basingstoke, was among those who took the tour.

The 66-year-old told The Gazette: “It was very interesting and it is a good thing to have for the future. I knew the site was here and I knew a little bit about what it does but I had never been around one.”