Biodigesters

Dining Services director Dave Annis shows the inside of a biodigester

Photo by Craig Chandler, University Communication

Biodigesters

Dave Annis, director of dining services, rinses out a biodigester

The use of biodigesters at some dining services locations allows us to divert food waste from the landfill and reduce our carbon footprint.

Benefits of having biodigesters on campus can be summed up with the five C's.

Convenience
Provides an easy-to-use method of disposing food waste in an environmentally efficient manner.

Cost savings
Eliminates the need to transfer food waste.

Compliance
Results in procedures to safely dispose food waste without sending it to the landfill.

Cleanliness
Eliminates smells, mess, and pests from the trash bins and waste areas.

Control
Provides statistics on usage, diagnostics, and service schedules.

The biodigesters that Dining Services use can break down fruit, vegetables, nuts, meat, bread, fish, and cheese, allowing the university to significantly reduce the total food waste it produces.

Biodigester enzyme pellet
Dave Annis, dining services director, holds one of the enzyme pellets that help mix up the food in the biodigester.

Biodigester Benefits

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50,000 POUNDS of food waste diverted from landfills

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carbon footprint reduced by 95 TONS

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save TIME and MONEY spent hauling away food

Data taken from Cather Dining Center and Selleck Food Court in 2019–2020.

More information on the biodigesters used by dining services can be found at powerknot.com/lfc.