From landfill to lettuce - world's first growing dome powered by landfill gas launched in Wiltshire

A radical new approach to food production, capable of transforming landfill sites into low carbon, affordable fruit and vegetable production hubs, has been unveiled by Sustain Wiltshire in Royal Wooton Bassett. 

In a world-first, landfill gas tapped from Crapper and Sons’ landfill site will be turned into heat, power and CO₂, to create perfect year-round growing conditions within giant, positively pressured, inflated growing domes located on the Wiltshire landfill site. 

 Purified CO₂, captured from the landfill gas-to-power process, will be pumped into the newly erected bio-secure growing dome to promote photosynthesis, converting this problem greenhouse gas into harmless oxygen, while enhancing growing conditions. 

Heat and power from the Gas Engine combined with ultraviolet horticulture lighting, allows ripening to be accelerated or slowed down, extending the growing season year-round. Enabling multi-cropping and the harvesting of everything from carrots to avocados, even in the depths of winter, the groundbreaking technology has the potential to put an end to the need for ‘out of season’ produce that’s currently shipped or flown into the UK. 

Crop trials to start from the spring 

Three times the size of a standard tennis court, and twice the height of a London double decker bus, the positively pressured growing dome will be trialled and tested over the coming year. Using a mix of hydroponics, raised growing beds and plant containers, a broad selection of produce will be grown from the spring, ready to meet the needs of ten local families.  

Using advanced modelling technology, just-in-time demand-based fruit and vegetables will be grown, which Sustain Wiltshire believes will enable it to keep its costs lower than the major supermarkets. 

Now, instead of being logistics-led – requiring cost-heavy warehousing and distribution centres around the UK – food can be grown locally and delivered to the doorstep, cutting transport fuel miles, food waste and storage energy.  

Once perfected Sustain Wiltshire, a Community Interest Company, hopes to gain permission for 100 of the 40m x 20m growing domes which would be erected at the site over the next 10-15 years, ready to feed the local community with affordable produce. 

Capable of producing 10 tonnes of fruit and vegetables per growing dome, Sustain Wiltshire aims to supply up to 80% of all fruit and vegetable requirements for Royal Wootton Basset, Purton and Brinkworth, with future expansion planned to cover Malmesbury. 

Commenting on the unveiling of the world’s first growing dome powered by landfill methane, Nick Ash, Project Director for Sustain Wiltshire and Crapper and Sons Landfill Ltd, said: “This is a huge day for Sustain Wiltshire, for our local community, for the environment, and for the waste sector. 

“On this one site alone, we have the potential to produce over 8,000 tonnes of affordable fruit and vegetables annually, creating 130 new jobs, while preventing the release of 3,800 tonnes of CO₂ each year. 

“Rolled out globally, this technology has the potential to change the face of food production as we know it. Combined with plans to capture polymers from landfill plastic that cannot yet be recycled, we believe our Super-Midden solution has the potential to transform the future of landfill internationally, turning it into one of the most climate friendly methods of waste treatment.” 

The Super-Midden technology being pioneered by Sustain Wiltshire is based on the concept of the ancient midden which provided fertiliser to local communities in support of agriculture.  

Sustain Wiltshire’s ‘Super-Midden’ provides heat and power for food production from its gas-to-energy engine. This uses captured landfill gas combined with gas collected from its Solid Waste Anaerobic Treatment process, and is accompanied by the recycling of polymers via medium and long-term storage for future use. 

This development is part of the wider Sustain vision of creating self-sustaining communities 

To find out more about the Sustain Wiltshire, the Super-Midden and the Sustain Britain vision, visit www.sustainbritain.co.uk.