Rocket Composter saves The Torridon £17,000 in off-site costs

The equipment has also saved the hotel an estimated £12,000 in off-site waste disposal fees — reducing its bin collections from two to one — as well as eliminating the need to outsource compost, previously costing circa £2,500 per year.

Dan Rose-Bristow, owner of The Torridon and chairman of The Master Innholders, said: “We always consider our environment, social impact, and governance in every decision that we make. And this is one key piece of our sustainability puzzle.”

The Torridon is a member of the sustainability group, NOW Force for Good Alliance, and aims to reach carbon neutrality.

“The Rocket Composter not only gives us greater autonomy over our resources,” continued Dan, “but also offers significant environmental and financial benefits to our business — helping to reduce our carbon footprint being key.”

The machine was installed at Torridon in May 2021, as the resort wanted to upgrade its manual compost bin model for a more efficient and sustainable process.

At the time, the site was producing 25 tonnes of food waste per year – from post-consumer plate scrapings and food preparation – and wanted to prevent this from having to be removed by an external disposal company and then landfilled.

Huw Crampton, sales manager and food waste expert at Tidy Planet, added: “The Torridon sets a great example to the rest of the hospitality industry — showing how it’s possible to harness the resource potential of organic waste.

“Our Rockets are designed to help organistions work in harmony with nature — switching the narrative from ‘waste’ to ‘resource’.

“They are highly energy efficient and help support hotels’ ESG strategies — decreasing their carbon impact and contributing positively to our planet’s wellbeing.”

The Torridon’s environmental efforts — spanning energy, water, waste management, procurement, and more — have been recognised by industry bodies such as the Carbon Trust, Now Sustainability, and Green Tourism Business Scheme.