Montana Food Bank Saves Thousands in 2011 by Composting Food Waste

Montana Food Bank saves money by turning food waste into compost for local gardens.

gI_75904_em bokashi Great Falls, MT, February 2012 : The Great Falls Community Food Bank recycles food waste to produce a rich organic compost to help with the revitalization of local soil. Since starting their food waste recycling program in 2010, the Great Falls Community Food Bank now recycles 24 tons of food waste annually by composting. By recycling the food waste, the Food Bank is able to save roughly $2-3,000 per year in solid waste disposal costs. In the past 6 months, Food Share, a Helena, Mt. food bank has also begun composting their food waste.

<The Food Bank saves money by transforming their food wastes into a nutrient dense soil amendment through a fermentation process using EM Bokashi.>

This entire program was started with very little capital start-up money through the efforts of Mike Dalton and his team at Gardens From Garbage. Food banks receive quite a bit of produce from surrounding farms and grocers selling or donating what they can. However, not all of the produce makes it to the plate. What is left over is waste that can be turned into a valuable organic soil amendment (compost soil). This type of system helps complete a full recycling loop.

The Great Falls Community Food Bank supplies foods to 50 member agencies with a mission to feed the hungry in their own community. Gardens From Garbage has helped the Food Bank recycle their food wastes into a soil builder through a fermentation process using a material called EM Bokashi, a fermented organic material that is made with EM•1® Microbial Inoculant purchased from TeraGanix, Inc.

Gardens From Garbage continues expanding the recycling and composting program in the region. 13 local public schools are recycling and composting 40 tons of their lunchroom waste. The student composters are harvesting their microbial rich compost soil and developing their own schoolyard gardens.

Gardens From Garbage is a Montana-based non-profit whose mission is to educate and guide organizations, neighborhoods and communities in developing a sustainable local food source through composting, gardening and year-round greenhouses. Garden From Garbage is a program run by Sunburst Unlimited, a Montana-based reseller of Effective Microorganisms® products for TeraGanix, Inc.

EM•1® Effective Microorganisms® is the world’s most respected and widely-used organic microbial inoculant. First formulated by Dr Higa in Japan more than 30 years ago, EM•1® is the original Effective Microorganisms®.

Applications for EM•1® include:

  • A micronutrient fertilizer in certified organic agriculture operations

  • An organic plant food and soil dehydration deterrent for commercial and residential gardens

  • A septic tank enzyme treatment and waste treatment compound for large scale composting, odor control, bioremediation, solid waste and wastewater applications

  • A kitchen compost aid and garden compost accelerant

This press release is presented for your information only.

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