Environmental sustainability is a key aspect of what we do at EcoRich. Through our composting solutions, we strive to reduce food waste, return the nutrients back to the soil, and leave behind a healthy planet for our children and future generations.
That’s why we are extremely proud and happy to announce our partnership with 4MyCity in the Baltimore area, a non-profit organization that shares our dream of zero waste and sustainable food management. Read on to learn more about 4MyCity’s four-phased sustainable food management plan and how our commercial composting plant is helping them on its mission to end food insecurity.
Who Are 4MyCity? What Do They Do?
4MyCity is a Baltimore-based non-profit organization that focuses on environmental sustainability, with special attention to sustainable food management and food waste reduction. They redirect potential food waste to families to control food insecurity in our communities. 4MyCity is also on a mission to reduce the harmful effects of food waste on the environment.
4MyCity is also responsible for the first ever Zero Food Waste initiative in the state of Maryland. This initiative aims to educate members of the community about the importance of minimizing food waste at different stages and limiting the amount of organic waste being directed to landfills and incinerators.
The 4 Phase Sustainability Plan
The Zero Food Waste project is divided into four phases, all of which are successfully underway.
Phase 1: Source Reduction
The 4MyCity volunteers run a food rescue operation that collects and distributes potential food waste from businesses they’re partnered with. Their rescue operation extends to cooked food, raw ingredients, and even food scraps. As the program primarily focuses on collecting healthy food, they have close relationships with produce distributors and the local farming industry.
As part of their outreach program, they also help businesses with food waste audits and conduct educational seminars on sustainable food management for corporate teams.
Phase 2: Feed the Hungry and Our Animal Friends
With the help of dedicated partner organizations, the collected food is distributed to families facing food insecurity. Any food items not fit for human consumption that can safely be used as animal feed are distributed to their partner farms.
Phase 3: Industrial and Commercial Use
In the hopes of limiting the use of disposable food packaging, 4MyCity also encourages its partner businesses to use their line of biodegradable serving products.
4MyCity is also a vocal advocate for more research into biofuel production from food waste, as this has the potential to alleviate the environmental and economic effects of wasted food.
Phase 4: Composting
This is where our contribution to their Zero Food Waste endeavor comes in. With the help of our unique line of automatic, on-site commercial composters, 4MyCity can now successfully produce 10 tons of compost per day using the food scraps they rescued from their partners. This compost will be distributed through their network of partner farms so they can grow healthy food.
Our partnership with 4MyCity has truly allowed us to combine our knowledge of composting with our passion for sustainability.
3 Ways Composting Food Waste Can Help the Planet
In the United States, 80 billion lbs of food are thrown away each year—approximately 40% of the U.S. food supply. This is way more than any other country in the world.
Fortunately, sustainable composting allows you to transform food waste into a valuable resource that will generate more food and revenue in the long run. Even better, the benefits of composting don’t end here!
Reduces Landfills
Landfills are the sixth and final tier of EPA’s Food Recovery Hierarchy. This signifies that landfills are the least preferable method of food disposal—and there is a good reason for this.
The U.S is facing a landfill shortage, with experts predicting that we will run out of capacity in the next 20 years. The good news is that this problem can be easily solved as almost 50% of all landfill waste is compostable. By just composting your organic waste, you could save a ton of space while enriching the soil.
Compost Is Great for the Soil
We’ve already lost one-third of the earth’s farmable land in the last 40 years because of pollution and soil erosion.
Erosion usually occurs when the topsoil is washed away by excess water. But, compost’s water retention ability allows it to act like a sponge and protect the topsoil. Additionally, compost enriches the soil with essential nutrients, balances pH levels, and improves the soil texture. It is also effective in protecting plants from diseases and treating nutrient deficiencies.
By using compost, farmers can also save money spent on expensive fertilizers and pesticides, reducing the cost of food production. More importantly, farms that use compost produce higher yields than those that don’t.
Soil erosion and widespread use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides have caused soil across the country to lose a significant amount of nutrient content, resulting in less nutritious crops. Compost can restore lost nutrients in the soil and make way for healthier, nutrient-rich plants.
Composting Can Minimize Food Insecurity
Community composting is also an effective way for private companies and local governments to maximize the benefits of composting food waste for local farms. This will ensure that the food grown in and distributed around these communities is healthier.
As mentioned above, compost can reduce the cost of food production and produce higher, more nutrition-rich yields. This will result in a more resilient food system that will be able to end food insecurity and sustain generations to come.
Your business can also play an essential role in protecting the environment by composting on-site with EcoRich aerobic in-vessel composters. In just one 24-hour cycle, our Elite II composter reduces your food waste by 90%, and our Rapido 14 day rotary composter reduces volume by 50%. Join the fight against food waste and food insecurity with 4MyCity and EcoRich today!
We've helped numerous organizations start their composting journeys, and we'd love to help you make a difference too! Get in touch for any questions you may have, or if you want to discover more about our line of products!
