Camden County To Recycle Food Waste Under Pilot Program

Food waste will soon be recycled instead of thrown into dumpsters in Camden County, officials announced on Thursday. The county is currently accepting proposals to find a vendor who will collect food waste generated during meal preparation and take it to local composting and food recycling sites as part of a pilot program recently approved by the freeholder board.

Officials said mass production kitchens, like the ones at Camden County College and the Camden County Correctional Facility, produce thousands of pounds of food waste during preparation.

They said that the skin of potatoes, peels of bananas, and other excess organic materials that currently find their way to the incinerator or landfill along with the rest of Camden County’s trash can be recycled and reused just like paper and plastics.

“By reducing the tonnage we’re sending to the incinerator we can save the taxpayer money, while also taking the county one-step further towards environmental sustainability,” Freeholder Jonathan Young, liaison to the Camden County Office of Sustainability, said.

The county is looking for a vendor that can supply 55-gallon bins to store food waste generated in kitchens at county facilities.That vendor will then collect the recyclable material and deliver it to sites where it can be reused as animal feed or recycled via composting or anaerobic digestion.

Composting involves mixing food waste with browns like leaves and dirt to create a nutrient rich soil conditioner. Once the organic material has broken down, the mixture can be combined with soil used to grow plants, fruits, and vegetables, officials said.

Alternatively, anaerobic digestion uses microorganisms to break down the food waste, which then releases methane. This methane can be converted into usable gas which generates electricity, heat, or other fuels, officials said.

The pilot program will only make use of materials collected during food preparation, according to officials. This is where a majority of the waste is made. Cooked ingredients and food that has been handled by customers or patrons will continue to be thrown in the trash to avoid contamination, officials said.

“The United States generates more than 100 billion pounds of mostly edible food waste each year,” Young said. “If we can find a way to reduce our contribution to that total, while also saving the taxpayer money and reducing the amount of material entering our waste stream, then we are going to pursue it.”

Bids for the program will be opened on Feb. 11. The chosen vendor will be awarded a one-year contract for food waste collection services, with the opportunity to renew the program twice.

The program will be administered by Camden County’s Office of Sustainability, which runs the Hydroponic Greenhouse Program, started in 2016. In that program, the office grows fruits and vegetables year-round to use in lunches for senior programs and to generate revenue by partnering with local restaurants.