Dive Brief:
- Himark BioGas International announced a deal with NEO Energy, an organic fertilizer company in New Hampshire, to design and construct a total of three anaerobic digestion and fertilizer plants. The facilities will process food and agricultural waste in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
- The plant will generate renewable electricity and fertilizer from food waste, organics, manure, ethanol plant waste and slaughter house waste.
- Food waste recycled at the anaerobic digestion plants will come from multiple sources, including grocery stores, food processors and restaurants.
Dive Insight:
The president of NEO Energy, Robert Nicholson, said that the facilities are expected to be ready for businesses that need to comply with food waste laws. Massachusetts' statewide commercial food waste ban goes into effect on October 1, while Rhode Island's law prohibiting food waste generated by large entities will begin in 2016. The ban has sparked a new industry in these states, as the facilities necessary to process the organics don't yet exist.
