Australian owned and operated food waste equipment company Hungry Giant has developed a new system that might help food manufacturing businesses reduce food waste by up to 90 per cent.

According to Hungry Giant, the food waste dehydrator could help Australian-based food manufacturers divert around 50 tonnes of food waste from landfill each week. Hungry Giant told Australian Food News that by reducing the volume of food waste going to landfill, users of its machine could significantly reduce “both their waste collection costs and their environmental impact”.

Creates new odourless product

“All the wet smelly food waste has been processed to become a dry odourless waste stream,” Ben Englefield, Hungry Giant General Manager told Australian Food News.

“Another benefit comes because the residual general waste is dry and food free, and can then be sent for further processing and increase recovery even further and reduce disposal costs,” Mr Englefield said.

According to the Company, food waste in Australia is a major environmental issue, with around 4 million tonnes ending up in landfill every year. When left to rot in landfill, food waste produces methane gas, a pollutant that is said to be much more potent than carbon monoxide.

Dehydrated product for fertiliser

The Hungry Giant machines dehydrate all food and organic waste, significantly reducing the volume of waste. Once the dehydration process is complete, what is left is a “dry, completely inert, soil-like” product, which the Company says can be used as a garden fertiliser.

“There are many types of food waste processing systems, however the Hungry Giant units run at 85 degrees in order to kill any bacteria – air-borne or other,” said Mr Englefield. “Our unit is safer, faster and we guarantee up to a 90 per cent reduction in volume,” he said.

Available in a range of sizes

Hungry Giant said the machines come in a wide range of sizes to suit a variety of businesses, from restaurants or fast food outlets through to large hotel chains, retail complexes and food manufacturers.

The Company said its machines were currently being used by food courts, shopping centres, the Hilton Hotel, QT Hotel, restaurants in Sydney’s shopping and eating district the Darling Quarter, and fruit shops.

Hungry Giant said the units have a “full stainless steel frame and life span of 10 years”. The machines come with a 36 month warranty.

Governments trialling mass food composting in city areas

Meanwhile, governments around the world are trialling different systems for collecting food waste, which is increasingly seen as the ‘next wave’ in recycling in urban areas.

The latest city to trial a food waste collection for composting is New York City, with Mayor Michael Bloomberg set to introduce the voluntary initiative to 100,000 houses and high-rise apartments in 2013. New York City officials said they aim to make the initiative mandatory within a few years.

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