(original article found here: http://www.wasterecyclingnews.com/article/20130516/NEWS02/130519945/kroger-converts-food-waste-to-energy?utm_campaign=corpsustain_newsletter&utm_medium=corpsustain_email&utm_source=corpsustain_20130520&utm_content=article1)
The Kroger Co. unveiled an anaerobic digestion system to convert food that can’t be sold or donated into biogas that will help power its distribution center in Compton, Calif.
The Cincinnati, Ohio-headquartered retailer expects the system will process more than 55,000 tons yearly of unsold organics and food processing effluent, roughly 150 tons per day. The energy produced will provide 20% of the energy needed by the distribution center, the company said in a news release.
“Investing in this project is a good business decision for Kroger and, most importantly, an extraordinary opportunity to benefit the environment,” Rodney McMullen, President and COO of The Kroger Co., said in a statement. “We want to thank Governor [Jerry] Brown and his team at CalRecycle and CalEPA, the City of Compton, the [South Coast Air Quality Management District], and most importantly the team at FEED [Resource Recovery] for making this renewable energy project a reality.”
Oh Kroger… they hold a special place in my heart because the last few times I was out traveling in the midwest, they were one of the few that didn’t compact their waste (resources, as I like to call them). Their dumpster was full of food from every corner of the store- cakes, fruits and veggies, sandwiches. Good friends of mine would live off of the spoils of that place, and I hope they still do.
Have you read their sustainability report? They seem to have a grip on the idea of what sustainability means. Their report in addition to the article state that their composting programs are being utilized for non-donation organics, which is great.
I’m curious if the anaerobic digester that they’re feeding is strictly organic materials and not inclusive of anything toxic. Anaerobic digestion is best when the gas collected is used for heating, but not for electricity generation, which unfortunately seems to be the focus here. It would really bother me if it’s being considered a “renewable” energy… when you burn something, there’s no renewal- it’s gone. Ugh, don’t get me started.
Either way, Kroger is making some good progress here, and is to my knowledge one of the more responsible grocery chains out there. Donating their spoils and keeping the rest from the landfill via composting is a critical step that all grocery stores need to partake in- it’s too easy to set up and the benefits are too great. While it’s not the highly preferred aerobic composting method, it’s still composting, and we need a lot more big companies thinking like this.