Food waste is a serious problem in the United States, especially when there is technology in place that could drastically help with the problem. According to the USDA’s Economic Research Service, food waste is estimated to be between 30-40% of all food supply. This equates to about 133 billion pounds and $161 billion worth of food. This amount of waste not only has a huge impact on the economy but also can be catastrophic to the environment.
According to the EPA, combined food and yard trimmings account for the biggest share of America’s landfill trash, a staggering 28%, which is twice the amount of plastic. With the growing problem of landfills filling up, greenhouse gasses devastating the atmosphere, and high levels of emissions from everyday transportation, it has never been a better time to address this problem finally.
When Americans bury their garbage or even organic waste for that matter, tons of things happen. Greenhouse gasses are released, ground water runoff and drinking water can be contaminated, and fossil fuels are burned up during transportation to and from garbage sites. Landfilling and composting, including factory level animal farms and the waste from the animals, have large environmental impacts. The odor, land requirements, travel distance, and contamination are causing an impact on the environment and the ecosystem surrounding. There is a solution.
“The ECOS/Bio-ART technology is the answer to all of the problems associated with organic garbage that the United States is facing.”
EcoloCap Solutions Inc., ECOS/Bio-ART (Biological Aerobic Remediation Technology), is the first and much needed next step toward sustainability. ECOS/Bio-ART redirects all animal biosolids, food processing waste that comes from animals and vegetables, organic municipal solid waste, and yard waste from landfills and anaerobic digester into a valuable byproduct. The byproduct being organic fertilizers, chicken, fish feed, or biomass in the form of a dry powder or pellet that can be efficiently stored, transported, and spread.
Fertilizer products made through this process offer precision application and allow for even in-field distribution. Since it is made from organic material (food and animal waste as well as yard trimmings), it delivers a full suite of agricultural nutrients, both macronutrients, and micronutrients that crops need to flourish. On-site processing eliminates the impact of transportation emissions and the costs of storage and landfilling.
The ECOS/Bio-ART technology is the answer to all of the problems associated with organic garbage that the United States is facing. This technology diminishes land requirements and reduce landfill buildup, leachate, or ground water runoff contamination, diminish odor for nearby towns and citizens, and reduce costs and labor requirements. The technology allows the waste to be collected in single or mixed organics, so cross-contamination of waste is never a problem. With a short 7-day processing time and a continual output of high-grade organic fertilizer, harmful pathogens are destroyed.
One of the biggest benefits of ECOS/Bio-ART is that all of the processing can be done in one facility. With the ability to process all biodegradables in one location, transportation costs are lowered as well as costs for running different factories that specialize in each waste disposal. From biosolids and sludge, yard waste, food waste, cooking grease, and the biodegradable fraction of construction and demolition debris, ECOS/Bio-ART has the technology that America needs. In only seven days, a fully mature, high-value organic fertilizer is created and is free of all dangerous microbes or previous contaminants.
“This technology is the future of creating a more sustainable, environmentally friendly solution for all collected waste.”
ECOS/Bio-ART (Biological Aerobic Technology) is an in-vessel, aerobic, fermentation system that can be collocated at the transfer station or in standalone facilities near the source of the waste generation. The system occupies a minimal amount of space and has no problems associated with landfilling and composting.
ECOS/Bio-ART is practical, cost-effective and compliant with all regulations. With the ability to combat the food waste epidemic in the United States that can change the way that Americans handle food waste. This is just what the country needs to bring our standards up to the 21st century. No more water contamination, no more waste-filled lagoons, and no more odors.
Lake Shore Recycling LLC (LRS) is Illinois’ largest independent recycling and waste diversion provider and is currently adopting ECOS/Bio-ART with the goal of removing/diverting as much material from the waste stream as possible. This system will allow LRS to divert organic materials from both landfill and composting sites, internalize their organic volumes and generate downstream revenue since the output will now have demonstrable commercial value. ECOS/Bio-ART is total sustainability.
The Demonstration installation will be in operation by April at the LRS California Street MRF in Chicago. The installation will process 15 tons per day of organic municipal solid waste while producing 5 tons of organic fertilizer or biomass per day. The goal is to eventually have ECOS/Bio-ART handle all organic waste that is routed through LRS’s facilities.
Currently, ECOS/Bio-Art is processing over 6,000 MT of organic and mixed organic waste per day in South Korea. This technology is the future of creating a more sustainable, environmentally friendly solution for all collected waste and is exactly what the United States needs to bring waste disposal up to the standards of 2017.
