The regional solid waste corporation that processes greater Portland’s trash and recyclables has launched a food waste program that will open the door for municipal collection of kitchen scraps and other organic waste.
In a press conference Wednesday, ecomaine CEO Kevin Roche announced a five-year contract between the company and Exeter Agri-Energy. Agri-Energy owns an anaerobic digester in central Maine that converts food waste and cow manure into biomethane that generates electricity.
Ecomaine’s plant in Portland will be a collection point for food waste from southern Maine which will be transported to Exeter for processing.
About 40 percent of the trash people produce is food waste, and taking it out of the waste stream would cut down on the amount of trash flowing into the company’s waste-to-energy incinerator or into a landfill, said ecomaine board chairman Troy Moon.
“Providing towns and businesses with an easy way to divert this material from the waste stream will help our communities be more sustainable and may help save them money,” Moon said.
The early stage of the program is aimed at getting commercial customers such as restaurants, supermarkets and food processors to bring in food waste and anchor the service.
But with the infrastructure in place, municipal collection isn’t far away, Roche said. The company has discussed food waste collection for almost a decade, and residential customers are clamoring for food waste collection, he added.
“There is demand on the edge of their seats waiting for this to roll out,” he said. Ecomaine will charge lower tipping fees for food waste, $55 per ton compared to $70.50 per ton for trash, to encourage customers to separate the materials, Roche said.
Although some people already have backyard compost bins or hire a composting service to take their food waste, ecoMaine had to come up with a way to overcome the “ick factor” that comes along with handling and storing decomposing food, Roche said.
To read the full story, visit http://www.pressherald.com/2016/09/07/portland-based-trash-cooperative-launches-food-waste-program/.