The Harbor House inn was able to seamlessly transition their waste management systems using the EcoRich Elite II commercial composter. While they once disposed of their food waste as trash, they were able to manage a complete overhaul of their waste management systems.
The World of Decentralized Composting
On-site involves having waste transported from kitchens to state composting facilities using large trucks.
This is less efficient for both the user and the planet, seeing as it costs anywhere from $200 to $2500 to have the waste picked up in large trucks that, in turn, also increases the user’s carbon footprint.
EcoRich sees an opportunity in the growing public support of environmentally conscious movements.
A Thriving Consumer Landscape
A study conducted by the National Restaurant Association, showed that 51 percent of people surveyed said they would pay extra (median 10% more) to eat at restaurants that recycle.
This shows that there is a large market of consumers who truly care if the restaurants they choose to eat at are recycling.
The Harbor House Inn
The Harbor House Inn facility in Elk, California took on the composting initiative by joining forces with EcoRich Composting solutions. They view sustainability as a crucial step in their future as a business and consistently seek ways to improve their practices. After sorting through their options, they chose to install an EcoRich Elite II composter.
“We had looked into traditional composting methods but due to how quickly we are able to produce compost with the machine we decided it would make more sense for our business.” they said.
In a service industry where efficiency, quality, and speed are three undeniable keys to success, the Elite II 24 hour process provided the Inn with a solution they could be confident in.
The Composting Experience
“We are a small hotel and restaurant in a very rural area, sustainability is very important to us as the attraction of our hotel is the beautiful nature that surrounds us.” they said.
The facility also has a garden on-site that gives them a regular and viable use for their soil amendment, with David Hopp also stating that, “we require compost for the health of our soil”.
The inn now has a natural and pure soil amendment that was created from food scraps produced by their very own kitchen.
The EcoRich Experience
Due to the rural nature of the surrounding area, the EcoRich team and the Harbor House inn had to work together to figure out transport and installation problems. Nevertheless, they claimed that despite it being “extremely difficult getting our machine for us as we are very remote […] EcoRich was very helpful in getting our machine up and running.”
Furthermore, the Inn found the machine itself to be very straightforward and easy to operate. This enables them to “greatly decrease the amount of food waste going into our trash cans, saving us money from trash pick-up. It has also saved us money by creating compost for our garden so we no longer need to purchase it.”, says David.
In regards to the Harbor House Inn’s sustainability goals, the machine has allowed them to not only recycle their food waste, but to also use their resulting product to grow more food. They have also found that they are sending significantly less waste to the dump as a result of this initiative. All of this is accomplished free of any odor or pest issues.
Overall, the Harbor House Inn says they found it helpful to have EcoRich’s knowledgeable and passionate representatives there to help them in this transition.
A Perfect Product for the Right User
Like all productive and progressive causes, composting may never be as easy as its harmful alternatives. However, the ever-growing composting movement has resulted in a vast improvement in the number and quality of options in the market. The EcoRich Elite II stands amongst those options as a viable solution to the food waste epidemic.
