Why Recycle Food Waste?


Back in 2009 when we first published this website,  the EPA estimated that 32 million tons of food waste went to our landfills. In 2018 it was updated to an estimated 63 million tons.  It's not getting any better.


Knowing that about 3/4 of that amount goes up into our atmosphere in the form of carbon and methane emissions, we can safely estimate about 47 million tons of carbon and methane gas are released into the atmosphere each year. 

Please, don't try to convince people your are concerned about climate change while you sending your waste to the landill.

Think of the environmetnal Karma.  ; )


For what it's worth. The united nations stated that if food waste were a country

it would be the worlds 3rd largest producer of carbon emissions.


Why Recycle Food Waste? That sounds like a reasonable enough question so I will give you a straight up answer. The process of recycling virtually eliminates all carbon and methane emissions that would normally occur from landfill dumping are eliminated.

 The single greatest thing a faimly can do to cut their carbon footprint is to recycle your food waste

The good news is that you don't need a government mandate, a tax rebate or a new law to pass. You can do it yourself!

It's the ultimate in landfill diversion! This is a very efficient method of carbon sequestration that provides a viable alternative to damaging our environment and it costs less than a disposal service. But the greatest benefit might be that recycled waste absorbs several times its own weight in atmospheric carbon! It helps create an effective carbon sink that sequesters tons on carbon from the atmosphere.



If recycling food waste is so great, why isn't everyone in doing it?



What is Food Waste Recycling?  In a word, "Fermentation"  You may never have heard of fermenting food waste before but It is as simple as inoculating your food waste, keeping it sealed tight and waiting a few weeks before burying it in the soil.  It's not that much harder than that. 



Fermenting turns food waste into nutrition for the soil.  Recycling preserves the naturally occuring nutirents and returns them to the soil accompanied by vast populations of microbial life! You probably already know these microbials already by another name, Probiotics.

That’s right same types of bacteria used to make everything from wine, cheese, kefir, kombucha, sauerkraut, yogurt and sourdough bread


Fermenting food is a completely natural process and fortunately whats left of that cucumber, all the peeling and even the vine itself can be recycled back into the soil instead of creating greenhoue gases at a landfill


Unfortunately it's not widely practiced... yet!  There is one slight glitch though.  This process cannot be patented because it is naturally occuring, not man made.  It is what is referred to as  "low profit potential".  That is why it takes a nonprofit to take up the cause.  Fortunately this is "open source" to anyone.




How do you recycle food waste in Tennessee?  

 If you have ever seen a silo on a farm, what you were seeing was a huge container of shredded kernels of corn, cobs,leaves, and stalks that were fermented to preserve the nutrients and sustain cattle during the winter months Bacteria preserve all the nutritional value of the corn plant and provides a healthy diet for dairy cows all winter long.
 
So you see that this is not some new technology or a revolutionary idea,  it's simply following the laws of nature. 
At AgraCycle.org, we believe in working in harmony with nature to create highly efficient, effective carbon sequestration projects that are environmentally sustainable.   

Did you know that restoring and maintaining healthy soils can offset a significant amount carbon emission? I'm for real! Recycling provides immediate, quantifiable results in cutting dangerous emissions and also provides a significant secondary benefit by absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and locking it into the soil. 4 This is a really great way to reduce emissions.

Recycled organic waste contains many times the nutrient value as compost and is loaded with probiotics that help heal the soil and plants to resist disease. We believe that recycling food and other organic waste items provides a viable alternative to environmental damage from landfilling. Food Waste recycling in conjunction with sustainable farming, reduces the use of petrol-chemical fertilizers that are toxic to humans, wildlife and the environment. 

Who can recycle food waste in Tennessee

From individuals, households, churches, organizations, small businesses, institutional kitchens, casinos and food processors. There is a vast amount of organic material that is being dumped every day and you know it is affecting our environment in a negative way.

What if, instead of paying to pollute we recycled food waste and actually did something to help fight climate change.   

This is the passion that prompted the founding AgraCycle.Org in 2009. Today, AgraCycle Inc. is 509(a)(2) non profit charity that is tax exempt. Our mission is " To help promote, create and manage food waste recycling projects "  Hopefully we can help and inspire you to make a difference as well.


Why not build more composting facilities? 

Composting is something much easier said than done in real life. It starts with an enormously large initial capital investment. Suitable land must be found, heavy equipment and trained personnel. Additionally, a composting facility has to stock pile feedstocks such as leaves, saw dust or shredded brush, because without the proper carbon to nitrogen ratio your compost won't be successful. 

It has to be watered and it has to turned regularly. There is always a fire risk due to spontaneous combustion and that is a scary thing. 


One common misconception is that recycling is the same as composting. This is not factually correct, so let me explain. 

Composting is a natural process that uses aerobic bacteria to process organic matter.   We use anaerobic bacteria. 

When composting, the aerobic bacteria need air and that is why the compost pile must be turned regularly. Otherwise the bacteria die off and the pile goes putrid.    Compost will also go bad if the correct Carbon to Nitrogen ratios (C/N) are not maintained.3 

The carbon content typically is provided by “browns” such as dried leaves and wood chips.  Nitrogen is provided by “greens” like food waste or grass clippings. The difficulty composting facilities face is having only browns or greens at any given time. So, if you have a quantity of food waste from a restaurant you must already have the proper quantity of organic carbon sources to begin the process or you are going to have a pile of rotting waste, just like the landfill. Stocking large piles of shredded leaves, wood chips or sawdust is not only inefficient but is an eyesore as well. 

Other common problems that come with composting on a larger scale include, the smell, birds, rats and the noise of tractors and heavy equipment. 

None of those problems occur during food waste recycling!  Now you are beginning to see why everyone is starting to pick up on it.


Agra Cycle wants you to know how much easier, efficient and effective it is to recycle organic matter instead of landfilling.   Because when we recycle food we " re-cycle " all the nutrients, elements and trace minerals back into the soil.  Now how cool is that? 


So, what are you waiting for?

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