Can leftover food and food waste only be collected in wet waste garbage cans or are there alternative systems? Which benefit do they offer a kitchen chef and what does it cost? Can he pre-treat his industrial water before discharging it into the sewage system and save money? There are isolated systems for the treatment and storage of leftover food; industrial water can be recycled. But: how fast will the investments pay for themselves?
Waste water and leftover food are valuable recyclable materials for operators of biogas plants, however for cooks it is uncomfortable to deal with it. It entails costs and above all, gets on their nerves when food controllers or water authorities not only criticize them, but also impose fines. But: even though this discussion is very unpopular, it is mandatory, because cooking is inseparably connected to leftover food and waste water and can pollute the environment considerably. That’s why efficient and environmentally friendly solutions are absolutely essential.
Recycling Carts – Alternative Systems
Many cooks collect their production waste and leftover food in wet waste garbage cans, whose handling causes substantial costs and whose storage and collection are often borderline in hygienic terms. Simple wet waste systems will frequently pay for themselves within about four years, after several hundred meals a day.
Homogenizing Pumping Systems
These are isolated systems like the vacuum suction systems mentioned below, but technically significantly easier. Pipes connect the storage tank to the input station, which is frequently placed in the scullery. Its cutting unit chops up the leftover food into small particles and thereby reduces the volume of wet waste by down to 50%. Liquid is necessary for this, which comes partly from the chopped cells and partly from infiltration water, which is fed in. The viscous suspension that comes from the biomass is fed into the tank by the pump, which is also housed in the input station. It is stored there uncooled until it is emptied – but usually not longer than six weeks. Then several input stations can be connected to each other, if they are not set too far apart. A system, which consists of an input station, tank, and piping costs c. EUR20, 000, not including the installation, which costs approximately EUR2, 000.
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