It is the first time a UK retailer has come off the National Grid for day to day electricity consumption.
The Cannock store will use Biffa’s advanced anaerobic digestion (AD) facilities and a power link up.
Sainsbury’s said any food waste unsuitable for charitable donations or animal feed will be sent to AD at Biffa to be converted into energy.
The rest of the food waste will be collected from Sainsbury’s supermarkets throughout the UK using the company’s delivery lorries. It is then sent to Biffa’s plant also in Cannock.
The food waste will be transferred into bio-methane gas, which will then used to generate electricity at the Biffa plant.
Electricity for Sainsbury’s Cannock store will be supplied directly to the supermarket through a 1.5km long electricity cable.
Sainsbury’s head of sustainability Paul Crewe said: "Sainsburys sends absolutely no waste to landfill and we’re always looking for new ways to reuse and recycle.
"So we’re delighted to be the first business ever to make use of this linkup technology, allowing our Cannock store to be powered entirely by our food waste."
Sainsbury’s is currently the UK’s largest retail user of AD, generating enough electricity for about 2,500 homes annually.
Image: Sainsbury’s Cannock store has become the UK’s first supermarket to run on electricity generated solely from its own food waste. Photo: Courtesy of J Sainsbury plc.
