Dive Brief:
- BioHitech America, a food waste recycler based in Chestnut Ridge, NY, expanded its reach in the U.S. as it added two hospitals with Eco-Safe Digesters to its service roster.
- Boston Medical Center in Boston, MA and Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, MA each installed the firm’s on-site aerobic digester at their medical institutions.
- The equipment operates through a combination of technology and data, rendering the BioHitech Digester capable of reducing up to 2,400 pounds of organic waste within a 24-hour timeframe. The outcome is nutrient-neutral water, which is carried away via sewer lines.
Dive Insight:
BioHitech is marketing its food-waste reduction system to the healthcare field. Frank Celli, the CEO of the company, said, “With upcoming legislation in specific cities and states, banning food waste from landfills, food waste disposal is now becoming a priority.”
Cities such as Minneapolis, MN and New York, NY are eyeing food waste bans. Massachusetts' ban has led to an emerging industry and the fast-tracking of numerous proposals to construct food waste-to-energy plants.
Hospitals throughout the country generate around 34 pounds of waste every day, and 10% of that is food waste, according to a survey conducted by Practice Greenhealth.
