Pompano Beach, Fla.-Florida Gov. Charlie Crist is lending his support to a new venture that turns food waste from a major supermarket chain into fertilizer. Crist was on hand for the recent ribbon-cutting at a Pompano Beach facility operated by Organic Recovery that will gather discarded fruits, vegetables, meats, and bakery products from 40 Publix stores in Broward County and process them into liquid fertilizer for golf courses, homeowner associations, and eventually individual homes. By next month, reported Organic Recovery officials, all 84 Publix locations in Broward County will be involved, and eventually two additional processing facilities will be established in Lakeland, Fla., and Atlanta, Ga. “I applaud Organic Recovery and Publix for their commitment to exploring good business options that help our environment while also firing Florida’s economic engine,” Crist declared. “What these businesses are doing is a perfect example of how there is gold in green and economic opportunity in sustainable business practices.” He said teaming with Organic Recovery will help Publix increase its recycling rate by at least 25 to 30 percent, and the new Pompano Beach facility will provide 26 jobs processing up to 60 tons of food byproducts daily. Also attending the grand opening event were Jeffrey Young and Lew Spencer, who developed the conversion process. Organic Recovery is a spin-off from AMT Bio-products of New Bedford, Maine, which develops and markets soil amendments, aquaculture feed, compost accelerants, bio-stimulants, marine oils, and nutraceuticals from seafood processing waste.
Transparency Across the Fertilizer Value-Chain