Sea la vie and Eco Today have found a solution to Wet Food Waste

August 2010

Eco Today, a leader in commercial waste management, is changing the way restaurants and other commercial kitchens deal with their wet food waste. Wet food waste has long been a problem to restaurants, food kitchens and councils. Today wet food waste is simply loaded into plastic bags tossed into garbage bins and ends up out in landfills creating a nightmare for the environment and future generations.

Eco Today is offering commercial kitchens a way to recycle all wet food waste turning the problem waste into rich fertiliser that can be used on gardens. To accomplish this, Eco Today, an all Australian company representing a Swiss manufacturer is now offering machines developed by VRS in Switzerland which can turn wet food waste into useful fertiliser in just 6 to 10 hours.

Each commercial kitchen simply installs a machine into their kitchen and all wet food waste is tipped into the machine and then the machine weaves its magic. Because the process takes between 6 and 10 hours, the machine can undertake two processes per day. Fertiliser is ready for collection and bagging on completion of the process.

These machines will revolutionise the way waste is handled in commercial kitchens.  The machine is easy to use, fill the machine with food waste, close the lid, push the start button and let the machine weave its magic.  To complete the cycle push the unload and the dries waste unloads and the cycle is complete.

The first of Eco Today's Australian test outlets is Sea la vie Restaurant in Dee Why where operations commenced in May 2010. Now, not only will Sea la vie be recycling paper, glass and plastics, but now it will be able to recycle much more of the waste produced by the restaurant. The machine answers the big question of how to handle wet food waste.

Eco Today is building a business model that not only saves money now, not having to pay for removal of wet food waste, but will, using the Eco Today machines, generate revenue for the restaurant from the sale of fertiliser.

The Eco Today machine operates by heating the food waste up to 140 degrees Celsius and drying the waste out, the waste is agitated (like a washing machine) and drains water from the product (which is 70 to 80% of what is in the waste). What is left is a dry coarse powder with no odour and suitable to be used as a garden fertiliser.  The machine completes this process in a staggering period of between 6 and 10 hours.

Eco Today initially will offer two different size machines depending on the amount of food waste produced by the commercial environment (restaurant, café, shopping centre, hospital, aged care home, boarding school, etc.). The current machines are manufactured to treat 30kgs (model Genie II) and 100 kgs (model VRS 100 Swiss) of food waste per day.

Initial discussions have been held with nurseries and landscapers and they are keen to distribute this rich fertiliser. This is a win-win situation for commercial kitchens where they can handle all wet food waste and be producing a valuable product. This is the way of the future.

Adrian Meredith, of Eco Today can be contacted 0410 622 428 or by email adrian@ecotoday.com.au


Turning today's waste into tomorrow's future