McCaffrey’s Recycling Food Waste Into Organic Fertilizer

McCaffrey’s Market; Converted Organics, Inc.; and Organic Diversion, LLC have joined forces to collect, process and convert food waste from McCaffrey’s Princeton, N.J., store into organic fertilizer is now being sold at that location. Later this spring, McCaffrey’s plans to extend the program from the Princeton store to its locations in West Windsor, N.J. and Yardley, Pa.

Converted Organics and Organic Diversion began working together last summer, to gain a true understanding of each other's needs, capabilities and requirements. The two companies brought McCaffrey's into the fold several months ago.

Steps in the process included conducting waste analyses, estimating recycling rates, recommending collection methods, developing an operations plan, developing training materials/program, developing a marketing plan, training management and staff, recommending and installing all collections containers and compostable container liners (supplied by Philadelphia-based Penn Jersey Paper), developing in-store signage, and launching and promoting the program

“McCaffrey’s is dedicated to being a good neighbor in the communities we serve, as well as a good environmental steward in Princeton and our surrounding area,” noted McCaffrey’s Market president and CEO Jim McCaffrey. “Our commitment to the environment is advanced by partnering with Converted Organics and Organic Diversion, LLC to recycle food waste from our market into Converted Organics’ all-natural fertilizers, and make these products available for sale at our markets. This partnership creates a win-win-win situation: The environment wins because landfill deposits and resulting methane emissions are reduced, McCaffrey’s wins because we have a more effective waste disposal system than ever before, and our community wins because the use of synthetic fertilizers is reduced.”

“This is the ideal sustainable solution to the challenge of food waste disposal,” added Jack Walsdorf, VP of waste management for Boston-based Converted Organics, which is dedicated to producing high-quality, all-natural, organic soil amendment and fertilizer products through food waste recycling. “By recycling McCaffrey’s food waste into our organic fertilizer and then making our products available for sale at McCaffrey’s, Converted Organics and McCaffrey’s create a self-sufficient, closed-loop system that turns food waste into environmental treasure.”

Converted Organics employs its proprietary High Temperature Liquid Composting (HTLC) system, a state-of-the-art microbial digestion technology, to process various biodegradable food wastes into dry pellet and liquid concentrate organic fertilizers. The company sells and distributes its environmentally friendly fertilizer products in the retail, professional turf management, and agribusiness markets. In addition to manufacturing facilities in Woodbridge, N.J., and Gonzales, Calif., Converted Organics is developing a third in Johnston, R.I.

Among other initiatives to help the environment, McCaffrey’s, an independent, family-owned and -operated supermarket with three locations, recycles cardboard and plastic bags.

Marlton, N.J.-based Organic Diversion provides waste analysis, operational planning, training, collection and hauling of food and organic waste.
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