FOOD WASTE SOLUTIONS
CASE STUDIES

Correctional Facilities

With typical daily food waste of 1.2 pounds per offender, the sheer mass of waste requiring management is a daily chore that demands officer hours to manage from the point of generation until it leaves through the sally port. Regardless if the facility is in a rural or urban area the food waste is also a significant attractant for vermin. By composting and/or reducing the wasted food volume 80% to 90% at the source, the management/security costs are proportionally reduced while providing offenders training in the expanding green collar industry. The resultant organic material can be used as a soil nutrient within the facilities garden program or part of another training/work product. 

 

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Universities

We approach universities as seasonally densely populated areas with residents that are very sustainability focused. Beneficially reusing food waste is a straightforward way to meet sustainability goals and drastically reduce overall waste. Totemic has systems in use at universities throughout the country, several in conjunction with pulping or grinding systems. The beneficial reuse programs that Totemic recommends can be implemented by student led sustainability initiatives or directly with food service operations. 

 

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Zoos

Zoo’s have a very unique organic waste load consisting of food, manure and bedding, all of which has historically been disposed of at a landfill. The Big Hanna composter has demonstrated experience composting the entire organic waste stream into usable compost, all on site, eliminating off-site disposal, compactors and dumpsters. Since food waste is a small component of the waste stream, Big Hanna and Totemic can customize shredder systems to allow the bedding and manure to be commingled and composted within the same on-site composter. Along with the obvious sustainability and financial benefits, an on-site organic waste beneficial reuse program at a zoo provides an excellent exhibit and learning experience for visitors. 

 

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Coffee Houses

Coffee grounds are very wet when disposed, the moisture accounts for most of the disposal weight as well as mess. Dehydrating the grounds with an undercounter dehydrator quickly reduces the weight and volume by 60%. After that process is operational, let's think about ways to beneficially use the BTU or nutrient content of dried coffee grounds. Totemic works with small and multinational coffee cafes to develop organic waste reduction and reuse programs.

 

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Cannabis / Hemp Hot Crop Remediation

One of the biggest challenges for regulated Cannabis Growers is the need to effectively destroy Cannabis Plant Waste and render it “unusable” before disposing of it. As professionals in the Food Waste Recycling Industry, we can design and supply an on-site turnkey system customized to an individual growers needs. Using either a combination of or a stand alone in-vessel composter or dehydrator, a reduction/destruction system can render Cannabis Waste “fully composted” in as little as a day and will also reduce its weight and volume by about 90%! The throughput can be reincorporated into soil blends, shipped to other facilities for recycling or simply disposed of safely. This process means that Cannabis Waste does not need to be stored. It can be processed the same day it is collected/produced, so that compliance, critter issues, smell and other negatives associated with cannabis waste are eliminated.

 

 

Destination Resorts

Destination resorts are in business to cater towards the needs of their guests. Regardless if it is a mountain/ocean resort, casino or even a cruise ship there is always a wide variety of food available and inevitable surges of wasted food. The systems that Totomic provides will work in any climate...from the arctic circle to a desert, while providing a product that can be reused on location. We will design a site specific organic reuse program to meet corporate sustainability and public relation goals.

 

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Federal Facilities

Totemic supplied equipment is currently in use at Army Bases, Veteran Hospitals, Federal Prisons and other federal sites throughout the world. These systems help a facility meet the US Army Net-Zero program while also improving security by keeping operations and waste within the “fence line”. Further enhancing the offerings to federal facilities is the PFOS/PFAS remediation reverse osmosis systems available to provide point of use treated water.