by Donald Carroll, owner/operator of Waste Me Not and member of AFPC Food Waste Committee
I started Waste Me Naught in October 2020 as a way to improve the Fairbanks community by providing actual localized recycling solutions. We are starting with food waste as it's an undeniable issue, and the plate-to-farm concept is easy to understand. Acidic anaerobic fermentation is a simple process: cut waste to increase surface area, add microorganisms, remove air, and let it sit at 70 F in the dark. After two weeks our Soil Food is created, which comes in two forms: liquid, Kombucha, which is best described as fermented compost tea, and pulp, Kimchi. The whole purpose of our products is to improve the microflora in our depleted soils.
(Photo: 300 pounds of food waste, ready for Waste Me Naught’s process)
This summer highlights include:
Started regular pick-ups in May averaging 248#/week
From June 18th to July 22nd 775# of Kimchi were mulched in with compost/leaves in a 1900 sq ft garden (see before and after photo) *the gardener only applied store-bought fish meal fertilizer once
Applied Kombucha to two hay farms in Delta Junction
(Image: Processing Day)
Since its inception, Waste Me Naught has diverted over 6,000 pounds of food waste from the landfill, and in the last 80 days, we have diverted 2,700 pounds. We have a couple of studies still in progress, including looking at:
the effects of urea on Kombucha, Kombucha in a manure pile
Kombucha use in hay fields
Kombucha use in alkaline soils
and the effects of Kimchi.
We plan on continuing our regular pick-ups throughout the fall and winter, but without further interest our capacity is limited. We love to hear from you and see our products being peer-reviewed, feel free to reach us at Hello@wastemenaught.org or 907.750.6672.
Later this fall we may have a fundraiser to acquire a shredder, this would enable us to process more food waste. Stay tuned for details.
(Photo: Fairbanks, before and after application of Soil Food by Waste Me Naught)
