Maryland Environmental Service engineers have developed effective ways to recycle food waste into LeafgroGold®.
According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Americans generate around 14 million tons of food waste each year, or 106 pounds of food waste per person. Of this, 570,000 tons is composted for a 4.1 percent recovery rate; the rest, or 13.4 million tons, is incinerated or sent to a landfill, occupying 6.3 million cubic yards of landfilled municipal solid waste. MES projects that use a mixture of yard waste and food scraps divert this waste from landfills. The resulting soil amendment product is sold to residents as Leafgro Gold®
MES has a network of retailers that sell Leafgro® compost. Click here to find a retailer near you.
MES operates the Prince George’s County Organics Composting Facility on behalf of the county. Click here to learn more about the materials accepted for composting at the facility.
For more information about composting facility operations, please contact Tim Ford.
MES is working with Prince George’s County on a food waste composting project using the Gore™ cover system technology. MES evaluates different compost “recipes” to identify the best process to produce a high-quality compost.
The project is equipped with an oxygen controlled, positively aerated system and oxygen and temperature monitoring devices. This system creates ideal composting conditions while efficiently trapping odors and other emissions. The results are a higher output in a smaller area with little energy consumption
