06/05/2026
Many people wonder what the Regional Food Bank does with donated food that is past its prime. While our priority is feeding our neighbors in need, preventing food waste is another important part of our mission. When product isn’t safe for distribution, we set aside that food waste for local farmers, composters, and wildlife rehabilitators. Despite these efforts, there's a small amount of product that remains unusable even by these partners. That's where Agri-Cycle steps in.
We use Agri-Cycle for packaged food waste disposal. Excessively dented cans and boxed or bagged food past its expiry are picked up weekly and run through a de-packaging machine, separating the organic waste from the packaging. The resulting organic 'slurry' is pumped into an anaerobic digestor at one of their farm partner sites.
Anaerobic digestion causes microorganisms to break down organic material in the absence of oxygen. The resulting methane and other gases are captured by the digester and combusted to generate electricity, heat, and fertilizer. It can be argued that anaerobic digestion is even 'greener' than composting food waste because it eliminates harmful greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.
We're proud to contribute to recovering, reusing, and repurposing items that would otherwise go to landfills. It's a sustainable solution to a common challenge we all face!
