Portable digester company sees opportunity in NYC

The maker of a line of liquid food composter (LFC) units says New York City’s move to mandate the diversion of food scraps from the landfill presents an opportunity for alternative treatment technologies.

Iain Milnes, founder and president of San Jose, California-based Power Knot, says New York has taken a positive step in targeting food scraps for diversion, but it will need help in providing the means to do so. “It’s unclear how these companies are going to comply – the best option is composting, but it’s likely that compost facilities cannot handle all the waste that needs to be sent,” says Milnes.

Milnes says the LFC line from Power Knot is one such solution, as the units are designed to digest up to 4,000 pounds of waste food per day while yielding a liquid that can be introduced to the sewer system and a size-reduced compost product.

Power Knot says some if its existing clients include Hilton, Hyatt, Exxon, Fujitsu, Costco and “major government entities.”

A case study on the Power Knot website offers a description of how an LFC has been used at a JW Marriott property in Florida.