Biodigester will help Janssen's keep food waste out of landfill

Janssen’s Market in Greenville soon will install a biodigester to break down food and keep it out of a landfill.

Janssen’s Market will soon install a $33,000 machine that keeps food waste out of landfills by turning it into grey water that’s safe to send to treatment facilities.

Paula Janssen, owner of the Greenville grocery store and restaurant, will install the biodigester after receiving a grant from Keep Delaware Beautiful and the DE Solid Waste Authority.

The machine will process 500 pounds of food a day.

“We are excited about the ability to remove food waste from the landfill,” Janssen said. “This opportunity will help us achieve that goal.”

The food waste digester machine uses a series of processes that include microorganisms to break down food and transform it into liquid.

This new biodigester will Janssen’s keep 500 pounds of food water each day out of Delaware landfills.

Janssen’s grant was the first given by the DE Solid Waste Authority and Keep Delaware Beautiful.

Future grant awards could include awards to large food generators such as hospitals, supermarkets, schools, cafeterias, or hotels.

PICKING A SCHOOL: Delaware private schools offer open houses in coming weeks

A biodigester can cost about $1,000 for a small one, up to many thousands.

“This new program is a great step in decreasing food waste going to the landfill,” said Mike Parkowski, manager of Business Services and Governmental Relations for the DE Solid Waste Authority. “We worked with the University of Delaware to study food digesters’ impact on existing sewer system. We believe this is a positive program that will be instantly impactful for both Janssen’s Market and the landfill.”

DSWA is a founding sponsor of Keep Delaware Beautiful, a nonprofit focused on fostering and promoting programs focused on litter prevention, community beautification and minimizing the impact of solid waste in the State of Delaware.