In Florida, food waste is now going to an anaerobic digestion biofuel facility at Walt Disney World Resort that is converting the resulting methane gas to fuel that helps power the park and hotels. The leftover is used as fertilizer. Several Orlando areas businesses, like Juice Bar, are collecting the food waste in special green pails that now go to the biofuel plant instead of the local landfill. The green pails are now available to any Orlando business that wants one so they can participate in the food waste to energy effort, which can also help bring their dumpster fees down.
Juice Bar manager Kaley Winters told WOFL Fox 35 that “We thought it was going to going out to be composted and help gardens and stuff. To find out it’s helping EPCOT and create energy, it’s pretty exciting.”
“Getting creative about recycling, and offering a program like food waste collection is very innovative. There isn’t another city in the State of Florida offering a food waste program,” Chris Castro, Orlando Sustainability and Resilience Director told WOFL Fox 35.