Jim Lanier and FPI's Lynn Dyer at Earth Farms
Photo courtesy of Holly Elmore, Elemental Impact
Background
Jim Lanier was a partner at Stanley Environmental Solutions, a company that cleaned out grease traps in restaurants, when he decided to look for an alternative way to dispose of the grease and food that clog restaurant grease traps. Jim researched the issue and learned about composting of food waste. He founded Earth Farms Organics in 2006 in Dallas, NC, just outside of Charlotte, and expanded collection to service additional restaurants, hotels, schools, grocery stores, food processors, caterers and events.
In 2013, U.S. EPA Region 4 awarded the Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC) a grant to scale up composting in the Charlotte area, with a goal of promoting co-composting of food and packaging waste. Earth Farms is a sub grantee to SPC, which has provided some assistance to expand Earth Farms' operations.
Foodservice Packaging Materials
Earth Farms accepts food waste and materials that are certified compostable by the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI). BPI is a multi-stakeholder nonprofit organization that certifies materials to ensure they meet scientific standards for compostability, namely ASTM D6400 (for plastic items) or ASTM D6868 (for plastic-coated items). To comply with ASTM D6400, the standard states that the products "must compost satisfactorily, including biodegrading at a rate comparable to known compostable materials." In order to meet ASTM D6868, the standard states that the product must demonstrate proper disintegration during composting, an adequate level of inherent biodegradation, and no adverse impacts on the ability of composts to support plant growth. Passing these standards means that a product will biodegrade in a municipal or industrial composting facility. Today there are many compostable foodservice products, including plates, hot and cold cups, lids, straws, cutlery, and waste bags, made from various bio-resins and fibers made from sugarcane, corn, bamboo and others.
One example of Earth Farms' work across the Charlotte-Mecklenburg region is their participation in the Sustainable Food Court Initiative, a project driven by Elemental Impact that brings zero waste initiatives to food courts and develops best practices for foodservice operations (both front and back of house). Earth Farms collects food waste and compostable food packaging at Concord Mills, a large shopping mall near Charlotte.
Today, Earth Farms Organics diverts 100,000 tons of waste from landfills each year and is still expanding. They accept materials from both post-consumer and post-industrial operations, although collection systems vary depending on the location.
Challenges and Solutions
One key challenge is collecting sufficient volumes to make the routes worthwhile. Another challenge is contamination of the waste stream with non-compostable packaging. Earth Farms worked with clients to educate their staff about the different types of foodservice packaging, and which were compostable and which were not.
End Uses
Earth Farms Organics sells its finished compost in the Charlotte area to landscapers, gardening retailers, mulch suppliers and others. Since the materials originate in the Charlotte area, are composted in Dallas, and are sold in the Charlotte area, Earth Farms' compost travels relatively few miles, making it more sustainable. The company offers several products made from its compost, including 100 percent compost, a 50/50 blend of compost and local soil, a blend of compost, local soil and rock dust, and a premium blend that includes compost, vermicompost, and perlite.
-December 2013
More Case Studies
The Mid-America Regional Council Solid Waste Management District (MARC SWMD), the regional solid waste planning agency serving local governments across the Kansas City metropolitan region, and FPI collaborated to add paper and plastic cups as accepted materials for recycling and reinforce recycling other already accepted takeout packaging.
First Star Recycling and FPI collaborated to add paper cups as accepted materials for recycling and reinforce recycling other already accepted takeout packaging.
C&S Waste Solutions and FPI collaborated to add hot and cold beverage cups as accepted materials for recycling and reinforce simple recycling best practices.
Grand Traverse County, MI, residents can reduce waste by recycling their clean, empty paper cups and pizza boxes in curbside recycling carts and at local drop-off centers.
Over 500,000 households in the Hampton Roads region of Virgina, can now recycle hot and cold paper cups as part of their recycling program.
Chicago’s Department of Streets and Sanitation is asking residents to recycle their clean and empty paper cups and other takeout containers.
FPI awarded Groot a communications grant to inform residents about newly added recyclable materials, emphasizing the inclusion of paper cups, and reiterating the importance of ensuring all recyclables are clean and empty before placing in recycling carts.
Following the installation of the robotic sorter, the City of Madison, Pellitteri, and FPI collaborated on a focused educational campaign aimed at informing residents and customers about the recent modifications to the recycling program.
ACC's longstanding partner mills readily accepted bales containing paper cups. FPI facilitated discussions between RMPF and the mills, and ACC broadened its list of acceptable items to include paper cups and paper take-out containers.
Leveraging FPI's track record of successful community partnerships as evidence of paper cup recyclability, and securing approval from St. Lucie's collaborating mills, the County began including paper cups in its mixed paper bales.
The County’s strong commitment to sustainability made it an ideal candidate to expand its recycling program to incorporate a range of foodservice items, like cups and containers, through an FPI Community Partnership.
Clark County began incorporating paper cups, along with a variety of other paper foodservice items, into its mixed paper bales. The MRF subsequently sold this high-quality fiber to local paper mills in the region, where it could be reprocessed into new products.
Following the FPI’s market-based approach, the parties communicated regarding the proposed change in Sioux Falls' recycling program to ensure alignment between Millennium Recycling and its partner mill, WestRock in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Sustana committed to providing an off-take agreement for a combined paper cup/carton bale produced at the Alpine MRF in Denver. Following this change, the city of Denver carried out a targeted educational campaign to notify residents.
More households in Chicago and the surrounding area can now recycle paper cups along with other take-out containers.
More than 182,000 households in the Memphis area are now able to recycle paper cups alongside already accepted foodservice packaging.
FCC Environmental Services has installed new robotic sorting technology at its MRF enabling greater Dallas area residents to recycle paper cups, and improved recycling of food and beverage cartons.
Eight municipalities in the Tulsa metropolitan area with over 252,000 households can recycle hot and cold paper cups.
FPI is working closely with local material recovery facilities (MRFs) and paper mills in North and South Carolina to add paper cups as an acceptable commodity for residential curbside recycling.
