food waste disposal equipment

Which On-Site Food Waste Disposal System Works Best?

| | Industrial Processing News

Researchers in Massachusetts Put Food Waste Disposal Technologies to the Test!

On October 1, 2014 Massachusetts implemented its ban on sending food waste to landfills. For approximately 3,000 restaurants, stores, hotels and food producers in the state who generate over 1 ton of food waste per week – they need to find a better way to recycle their food waste. A food waste disposal system is unavoidable.

To prepare companies for the transition to food waste recycling or proper food waste disposal  – the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection hired researchers from Northwestern University to look at several on-site recycling systems. They examined non-biological systems; in-vessel dry composters and biological liquefaction (or wet systems).

The report notes systems that grind food waste and mix it with micro-­‐organisms… “accelerate the decomposition process, causing most of the food waste to turn into a liquid effluent.”  Some of these food waste grinders include our compact and powerful 1-SHRED and 3-SHRED grinders.

Some of the findings were astounding, including:

  • 90% of the 2.8 billion pounds of food waste disposed of annually ends up in landfills or incinerators.
  • Food waste represents 25% of the entire waste stream in Massachusetts, the largest category of waste.
  • One of the on-site composting systems reduces food waste to 0.1% of its original weight (a reduction of 1000:1).
  • Wet systems “digest” the food waste and break it down over 7-14 days. In a backyard compost pile this process takes several months.

Don’t let this regulation catch you non-compliant! Reach out and see what systems we have to offer!

Learn more about JWC’s Monster food waste grinders >

Read the report here (pdf) >

Learn more at the MassDEP website here >

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Find out more today about how JWC can fulfill your grinding, screening, shredding or processing needs.