Renewable power produced from food scrap partnership

Grow Compost of Vermont has announced its new partnership with Maine-based company, Agri-Cycle, according to Vermont Business Magazine.  

In an attempt to divert large volumes of food waste getting sent to landfill, the partnership will use the waste to provide feed for animals, healthy soils and energy creation through anaerobic digestion. Vermont implemented EPA’s hierarchy when creating its Universal Recycling Law, which means that it is working towards banning food scrap from landfill disposal by July 2020.

Vermont Business Magazine reports that Grow Compost currently operates two facilities. One is a chicken farm in Moretown and the other is a compost facility in North Hartland that accepts only food scraps. It then utilises the food scraps by making compost and also by feeding it to its laying hens. The blending of these food scraps with agricultural materials such as manure and hay, then creates the compost and soil mixtures that Grow use in organic agriculture.

Agri-Cycle’s sister anaerobic digestion facility, Exeter Argi-Energy (EAE)  uses food scraps and other organic wastes to feed it’s three digesters that  work 24/7 to turn solid and liquid organic waste into renewable power.

Dan Bell, Partner and General Manager of Agri-Cycle said, “The team at Grow has built a high-quality brand and operation based on providing a superior service and environmental solution to the State of Vermont and its many commercial partners. These are the same values that we at Agri-Cycle have looked to over the past five years and will continue to draw upon as this partnership evolves. Vermont is a regional leader in sustainability and we are proud to be supporting its recycling goals.”

Solid Waste Programme Manager from the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation, Cathy Jamieson adds, “Partnerships and innovations in the market are helping Vermont reach its organic diversion goals, keeping food waste out of the landfill.”