The new Eco-Safe Digester from Marathon Equipment Company is an innovative breakthrough in confronting the growing problem of organic waste processing and disposal. This new environmentally friendly product was designed in response to some staggering statistics, the company says.
According to a 2008 United Nations study, about 30 percent of the food produced annually in the United States – about $50 billion – is thrown into the garbage. This equates to approximately 31.79 million tons of food waste, which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates costs over $1 billion annually in disposal costs. In addition, the USDA reports that food retailers write off more than of 5.5 billion pounds of food per year, or about two percent of the edible food supply, with dairy, fruit, and vegetable spoilage accounting for half of those losses.
The Marathon Eco-Safe Digester is a food waste decomposition system that diverts waste from landfills while delivering multiple environmental benefits and measurable cost savings. Using a highly refined formula of microorganisms, it breaks down organic waste into a liquid that can be safely flushed down the drain, enabling the effluent to return to the ecosystem as water. Within 24 hours, the Eco-Safe Digester can safely and quickly decompose virtually all organic food waste including, but not limited to, meat, poultry, fish, grains, dairy products, fruits, and vegetables.
According to Geoff Apthorp, Vice President of Engineering and Business Development at Environmental Solutions Group (who owns Marathon) the Eco-Safe Digester is an innovative, “green,” value-added solution that addresses long-standing unmet customer needs in organic waste stream handling.
“The Eco -Safe Digester is an ideal solution for high-volume food waste generators, like supermarkets, hospitals, schools, prisons, restaurants, and hotels,” says Apthorp.
“We have seen customers’ waste hauling costs reduced from 20 to 50 percent per month depending on their individual waste stream composition and local cost variables. Hauling savings of this magnitude generate a very rapid return on investment and an attractive total cost of ownership for our Eco-Safe Digester customers.”
Marathon officially launched this product at Waste Expo 2011 in Dallas, May 10-12.
“I have attended over 20 Waste Expo shows and displayed many products there, but have never seen a product that generated as much interest and excitement as the Eco-Safe Digester,” commented James Robbins, Marathon product manager.
“People are intrigued with a process that enables them to divert organic waste from the landfill by converting it into a liquid that can safely go into a drain. The green proposition is attractive because it eliminates hauling, fuel consumption, traffic, and related emissions altogether.”
