RecycleSmart partners with Republic Services and East Bay Municipal Utilities District (EBMUD) to collect food from commercial businesses and turn it into energy!
This program is available for free to restaurants, grocery stores, schools and other food-generating establishments.
Learn more about this program with our Food to Energy brochure.
This program is different than traditional composting (“green organics cart”). To participate, you must ensure that you only put food into your “Food Waste” cart; landscape material is not accepted. If you have large amounts of food and landscape trimmings, you can participate in both programs to properly collect all organics and keep them out of the landfill.
Unlike traditional composting, The Food Recycling Project results in electricity. Collected food discards are taken to EBMUD’s wastewater treatment facility in Oakland. The food is added to large “digesters” that are primarily used to process sewage waste. The material is “anaerobically” digested, which produces large amounts of methane gas. Big co-generation engines capture the methane and use it to generate electricity that powers the entire facility. Plus, excess energy is sold to Port of Oakland – renewable energy used locally! In addition to renewable energy, compost-like material is also produced, which is used as a soil amendment for non-food agricultural applications.
It’s a win-win-win proposition. The environment improves with less landfill, the renewable electricity reduces our dependence on fossil fuels, and businesses can save money by diverting more waste to these containers and reducing the size of the landfill bins.
For free in-person assistance at your business contact a Sustainability Advisor:
925-671-5860
