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Published on February 11th, 2009

Has Your Favorite Restaurant Composted Lately?

by Trey Granger

According to the news release, Georgians send more than 17 million tons of garbage to landfills each year. - midtownatlantahomesforsale.com

Georgians send more than 17 million tons of garbage to landfills each year. - midtownatlantahomesforsale.com

Because food and paper waste can account for up to 50 percent of the trash output for the average restaurant, more businesses are considering compost programs as a way of limiting their environmental footprint.

The newest of these ventures is in Atlanta, Ga., where some of the major downtown restaurants and hotels have partnered with D.C.-based EnviRelations to provide food waste for composting and donation to the Atlanta Community Food Bank. The goal is the Southeast’s first “Zero Waste Zone,” where 34 tons of organic material are diverted from landfills each month and used grease is converted to biofuel.

The U.S. EPA has been promoting restaurant composting for years, and funded a composting program for Modesto, Calif., restaurants back in 2006.

While household composting is typically focused around keeping organic food waste out of the garbage, restaurants can often include meat, dairy and food-soiled paper in their compost pile.

Composting is catching on with everything from business cafeterias to supermarkets. Are your favorite businesses keeping food scraps out of the garbage?

Trey Granger

Trey Granger

Trey Granger is a staff member at Earth911.com.

More articles by Trey


2 Comments

  1. Fred Suave

    posted on February 11th, 2009 at 7:28 pm

    Please take a look at the company Converted Organics.
    They are very much in line with what you are talking about.

    Hyatt Hotels are using them with their food waste.

    Have a great day.

    convertedorganics.com

  2. Pat

    posted on February 12th, 2009 at 3:48 am

    This is super to hear about georgia’s recycling & compoting. We live in the country & we compost & recycle. The compost goes into our vegetable garden [what is left after the deer & the bear have their dinner] when it is ready. Great article Trey Granger

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