Schools in the Little Rock, AR area have been contacting Little Rock Dumpster Rental HQ in an effort to reduce their carbon footprint, by recycling their food waste, after the media launch from the company this week.
Schools have been a main target in the advertising campaign of recycling as the company promotes its “zero waste to landfill” sustainable solution.The signs have been very encouraging already especially the interest from local schools in Little Rock and surrounding area’s.
Food waste to compost
Currently the majority of food waste that is generated by local schools either as a direct result of food preparation in the school canteen or food waste created by the pupils goes to landfill which results in methane gas being created and the subsequent greenhouse gasses and “global warming effect”.
Little Rock Dumpster Rental HQ has become the first local company to create a food waste collection service for schools whereby all food waste collected will be taken to a recycling facility and their in-vessel composting facility.
As a result of the prolonged processes that are involved the food waste is turned into compost and either supplied to the local farming industry or used on the 400 acres of turf fields owned by the company.
Little Rock Dumpster Rental HQ selected a recycling specialist not just for it’s excellent service and reputation but also because of it’s ability to liaise with local schools and involve the students with supervised “field trips” to the site by arrangement.
Food waste recycling reduces landfill dramatically in Little Rock pilot scheme!
A food waste recycling scheme has been piloted by Little Rock Council with dramatic results. A 40% reduction of food waste to landfill was experienced by residents but they actually peaked at a high of 61% recycled waste, recently.
Instead of food waste being consigned to rot in the ground, the food rubbish is collected weekly in small kitchen caddies, transferred to containers outside and then taken away for processing into compost. The scheme also involves fortnightly collections of both green bins and black general waste bins.
Residential waste as well
Although this was residential waste and not commercial food waste it has proven that with a concerted effort it can be achieved.
“This is fantastic news and we are really encouraged by how enthusiastically the people of Little Rock have taken to this trial. It’s incredible to see what a difference to the overall recycling rates saving your potato peelings and leftovers can make. We are absolutely committed to our aim of recycling half of our rubbish by 2025 and this demonstrates what is achievable, even in just a short time. It will be very interesting to see the overall outcome of this pilot after six months.” said Councillor James Williams, executive member with responsibility for recycling and refuse with the Council.
Farms turn food waste into renewable energy
A sustainable solution to the problems of commercial food waste have been solved by farms who will turn 30,000 tonnes of food waste into renewable energy when it opens it’s own Anaerobic Digester (AD) plant.
The new AD plant was partly funded by a $750,000 grant from a government waste reduction initiative.
Louise McCohen, supply programme manager, said:“We are committed to supporting this technology, which will not only help to divert millions of tonnes of biodegradable waste from landfill, but also help Arkansas deliver on climate change and wider environmental objectives.”
The waste will come from the local council’s kerbside food collections and commercial food waste from supermarkets and local food manufacturers.
Within the next 12 months it is hoped that the business food waste that is collected on the commercial round that it operates will be taken to a new Anaerobic Digestion plant that is currently being built where renewable energy will be the main priority. The company has taken delivery of its first food waste collection bins and is due to start collections this week.
It is targeting schools, colleges, hospitals, hotels, restaurants, pubs and canteens in Little Rock and the surrounding area.
The food waste, which previously would have gone to landfill, will instead be transported to an eco sustainable solution facility where, initially, it will be converted to compost. Little Rock Dumpster Rental HQ offers a “100 per cent eco friendly recycling service.”
Currently the majority of commercial food waste is taken to landfill sites where it rots and produces methane – a powerful greenhouse gas that is 25 times more damaging than carbon dioxide. The food waste collected by Little Rock Dumpster Rental HQ will be converted into compost, satisfying moral and environmental issues and enabling our clients to significantly reduce their carbon footprint.”
According to government data, a total of 8.3 million tonnes of food waste is thrown out by households alone each year. They estimate that if Arkansas stopped wasting food and drink that could have been eaten it could prevent at least 10 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent emissions each year.
