Fresh Produce Distributor Makes the Leap to Organics-to-Energy
Bay Lake, FL (PRWEB) March 24, 2014 -- Harvest Power recently teamed up with FreshPoint Central Florida to recycle 100 percent of the fresh produce company’s local organic residuals at Harvest Power’s Energy Garden in Central Florida. The vegetative overs – including fruit and vegetable peels, strawberries tops, corn husks, and pineapple cores as examples – are now diverted from landfills and converted into renewable biogas and natural fertilizers. FreshPoint Central Florida contributes to the approximate 6 megawatts (MW) of combined heat and power that the Energy Garden produces, enough to power just over 2,000 homes.
FreshPoint Central Florida is the latest local business to come on board Harvest Power’s “Orlando Or Landfill? Responsible Food Recovery” campaign. Harvest Power is challenging Florida businesses and consumers to join the effort to reduce pressure on landfills, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help fuel local renewable energy production.
“Working with Harvest Power was an easy decision for us, as we do our part to help sustain the environment,” said John Kovalik, Executive Vice President, FreshPoint Central Florida. “With Harvest Power’s program, we reduce our hauling fees, keep our waste out of the landfill and ensure the organic waste we produce is creating clean, renewable energy for our community.”
The facility’s anaerobic digester uses naturally-occurring bacteria to turn organic waste into renewable biogas. The final products are renewable electricity and natural fertilizers used to boost local agriculture production.
“We’re excited to partner with FreshPoint Central Florida, especially since nearly 100 percent of their waste is organic matter,” said Chris Peters, Harvest Power’s Regional Vice President in Florida. “We’re building a local sustainability movement that gives businesses an alternative to traditional landfill disposal for their organic waste. That matters because now FreshPoint Central Florida and other businesses can put waste to good use. Our partnership shows what’s possible for other food processors across the country.”
By joining Harvest Power’s Orlando Or Landfill? campaign, businesses can reduce costs associated with food waste disposal and boost local agriculture by returning nutrients to the soil. To learn more about the campaign, go to http://www.WeChooseOrlando.com.
About Harvest Power
Harvest creates a more sustainable future by helping communities better manage and beneficially re-use their organic waste through the production of renewable energy, and soils, mulches and natural fertilizers. Harvest’s vision is to find the highest and best use for the 500 million tons of organic material produced in North America each year. The company operates organics management facilities in the East and West Coasts of the U.S., and in Ontario and British Columbia, Canada. Harvest has grown rapidly since its founding in 2008 and has garnered awards for its business of recycling, energy generation and soil revitalization. The company has been named to the Global Cleantech 100 four years in a row, received Bloomberg’s 2013 New Energy Pioneer Award and was named in Fast Company’s 50 Most Innovative Companies in the World
About FreshPoint Central Florida
FreshPoint Central Florida is an Orlando-based distributor of fresh produce and part of the Sysco family of foodservice distribution companies. Sysco is the global leader in selling, marketing and distributing food products to restaurants, healthcare and educational facilities, lodging establishments and other customers who prepare meals away from home. Its family of products also includes equipment and supplies for the foodservice and hospitality industries. The company operates 193 distribution facilities serving approximately 425,000 customers. For Fiscal Year 2013 that ended June 29, 2013, the company generated sales of more than $44 billion. For more information, visit http://www.sysco.com or connect with Sysco on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/SyscoCorporation or Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/Sysco.
Christopher Burk, Think Agency, +1 (407) 875-1999, [email protected]
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