The new Eco-Safe Digester from Marathon is an innovation breakthrough in confronting the growing problem of organic waste processing and disposal. The Eco-Safe Digester is an environmentally friendly method for converting food waste into liquid and was designed in response to some staggering statistics:
According to a 2008 United Nations study, it's estimated that about 30 percent of the food produced annually in the United States — about $50 billion — is thrown into the garbage. Food retailers lose more than of 5.5 billion pounds of food per year — about 2 percent of the edible food supply — with dairy, fruit, and vegetable spoilage accounting for half of those losses, according to a USDA report.
The Environmental Protection Agency has reported that the United States spends an estimated $1 billion annually on disposing of food waste. Less than 800,000 tons of the 31.79 million tons of food waste generated annually in the United States is diverted from landfills.
By diverting waste from landfills, the Eco-Safe Digester offers multiple environmental benefits as well as measurable cost savings. For example, using the 1,200-pound capacity unit for one year:
- Reduces 58 MTCE of greenhouse gases
- Is equivalent to taking 40 cars off the road
- Saves 1,700 gallons of diesel fuel (it takes 130 barrels of crude oil to produce 1,200 gallons of diesel fuel)
- Reduces CO2 by 470,000 pounds
- Preserves valuable landfill space
- Is equivalent to planting approximately 100 trees
- Reduces use of trash bags and rodent control systems
- Returns tens of thousands of gallons of water a year to the ecosystem
The Eco-Safe Digester™ uses a highly refined formula of microorganisms to break down organic waste into a liquid. This liquid can be safely flushed down the drain, completely eliminating the waste and ultimately enabling the effluent to return to the ecosystem as water.
Within 24 hours, the Eco-Safe Digester will safely and quickly decompose virtually all organic food waste, including:
Meat, Poultry, Fish, Fruits, Vegetables, Rice, Pasta, Bread, Coffee grounds, Grains, Eggshells, Dairy products