Keep Delaware Beautiful in partnership with the DE Solid Waste Authority last week highlighted a food digester at Janssen’s Market in Greenville
Paula Janssen, owner of Janssen’s, was on hand to accept the food digester grant award and to acknowledge the potential impact to the operation. The food digester will be able to remove up to 500 pounds of organic food waste from the landfill daily. Paula said. “We are excited about the ability to remove food waste from the landfill. This opportunity will help us achieve that goal.”
The biodigester takes discarded food in a commercial environment and transforms it into grey water that is safe to send to water treatment facilities. The food waste digester machine uses a series of processes, including microorganisms, to break down food and transform it into liquid.
The DE Solid Waste Authority has partnered with Keep DE Beautiful to fund the food digester grant program. This was the first grant awarded with the anticipation of additional grants awarded annually. Future grant awards could include large food generators such as hospitals, supermarkets, schools, cafeterias, or hotels. DSWA Director Mike Parkowski said, “This new program is a great step in decreasing food waste going to the landfill. We worked with the University of Delaware to study food digesters’ impact on existing sewer system. We believe this is a positive program that will be instantly impactful for both Janssen’s Market and the landfill”.
DSWA is the founding sponsor of Keep Delaware Beautiful, a nonprofit organization that foster and promote Keep America Beautiful programs focused on litter prevention, community beautification, and minimizing the impact of solid waste. Further information is available at KeepDelawareBeautiful.com
