ABSTRACT
Anaerobic digestion (AD) systems can come in all shapes and sizes, and can be designed to fit any number of sites and circumstances. AD schemes can be owned by groups of farmers, local authorities or local community groups, and in many countries they are. The small-scale AD schemes consist of systems that utilise farm or household waste, either because waste build-up is an issue in itself, or specifically to generate heat and power. This chapter considers Project LeAD, a community-based attempt to install an AD system within the town of Leominster in England. The local authorities in most of the developed world are responsible for dealing with the domestic waste created daily in the area. This presents either an ongoing problem and an ongoing expense, or an opportunity to turn that waste into an income stream. In most cases, when this opportunity is taken, it is done so in conjunction with a waste management company operating in the locale.
