Food Podcast: What happens to food that goes bad?
On this week’s episode of the Food Podcast presented by Clearview Federal Credit Union, Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank talks about its new partnership with Ecotone Renewables. The partnership is part of its latest efforts to cut down on organic waste by using a new Seahorse Biodigester.
The Biodigester, run by Ecotone Renewables, is in Swissvale and is critical in sustainably using food waste to make fertilizer instead of sending it to a landfill.
“Food waste has a big impact on the environment. When it goes to a landfill, if the methane is released into the atmosphere that has an impact on climate change that is 25 times greater than CO2 over a 100-year period,” said Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank’s sustainability committee chair Kurt Lindsay.
“When it goes to the landfill, it’s usually incinerated. That equates to a lot of greenhouse gases, (and) 8.2% of all greenhouse gas emissions are caused by food decomposing in landfills, more than double that of airplanes” said Chief Financial Officer at Ecotone Renewables Elliot Bennett.
The main way the Food Bank cuts down on these emissions is by saving good food that is usually just wastefully thrown out. Last year, the Food Bank rescued 12.9 million pounds of food, most of it being fresh produce. Naturally, some of the food that is donated or rescued doesn’t meet the standards in place for people to eat.
“From the outside, it just looks like a green shipping container,” Bennett said. “Inside in the stomach, it’s 103 degrees Fahrenheit and it breaks down the food using good bacteria.”
The Biodigester uses all of the organic waste from the Food Bank and turns it into 2,600 gallons of liquid fertilizer for the community. The Biodigester also generates energy for a hydroponic garden.
The partnership with Ecotone Renewables is invaluable for the future as the Food Bank continues to increase the amount of produce bought and distributed to the community. The Food Bank has a goal of making 50% of all food distributed from the warehouse fresh produce.
To learn more about Ecotone Renewables, including a new crowd funding campaign, visit Ecotonerenewables.com.
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