King of Prussia’s Earth-Friendly Pig

Food waste accounts for more than 35 percent of landfill waste in the U.S., yet very little is being done to reduce this. Currently, only about three percent of food is diverted from going into landfills. As a sustainably run restaurant company, we know we need to manage our food waste carefully, and we do so in a variety of ways from trying to serve reasonably sized portions for our menu selections to composting uneaten food.

At our latest Founding Farmers restaurant in King of Prussia, PA, we are trying something new and different. We have invested in a BioHiTech eco-safe digester, or “The Pig,” as we affectionately call it. This sustainable food waste disposal solution uses an aerobic digestion technology with a proprietary blend of microorganisms that naturally breaks down food waste into liquid form. Once food waste is completely broken down, which happens pretty quickly, it is safely discharged as wastewater through any standard sewer line.

Our Pig helps us greatly reduce the amount of our food waste going into landfills. Contrary to what many may think, it even eliminates odors. The system’s design works to process and dispose of food waste so efficiently, it doesn’t have time to be exposed to the elements so there is very little smell. Even though it eats a lot of our garbage, our Pig is actually a pretty clean little machine.

BioHiTech is a green technology company working to change the way we think about waste management. With their digesters, they have diverted over 45 million pounds of food from going into landfills. They are also working with municipalities across the U.S. to convert waste into an EPA recognized, clean alternative fuel source.