Metro, the elected regional government charged with managing solid waste, is developing a new Garbage and Recycling Systems Facilities Plan to increase access to disposal services in the tri-county area. The Metro Council will hear from a panel of experts about new innovations on Sept. 26 and expects to approve the plan in November.
By coincidence, whatever Metro decides, construction has just started on a new facility that could help the region with one of its greatest challenges — diverting more food waste out of landfills. Divert Inc., a national environmental technology company, broke ground on Sept. 7 on an industrial-sized anaerobic digester that will convert food waste in renewable natural gas. Called an Integrated Diversion & Energy Facility, it is being built in Longview, Wash., and anticipates processing 100,000 tons of food waste a year from Oregon and Washington when it is completed in 2024.
“Divert is at the forefront of the fight against wasted food, driving significant progress across the U.S., and now in a first for the state of Washington,” said Ryan Begin, CEO and co-founder, Divert. “This is an important moment for Divert and the Pacific Northwest in driving transformative change for the industry and solidifying our commitment to a waste-free world.”