A recycling grant awarded to Scottsdale provides an opportunity to reduce food waste through the participation of the city’s fire stations.
The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality’s $25,000 grant funds a pilot program involving food recycling units placed at Scottsdale stations. Food scraps from these stations will be diverted from a waste stream and converted into reusable material that in turn will go into making compost.
The fire stations make an ideal setting for the program because they operate 24 hours a day and produce much food.
Kerry Swick is an assistant fire chief for the fire department.
“So we’re participating because we are — we will be able to give the most data to this test because we are cooking food three times a day, every day,” he said.
Swick also backs the pilot.
“We support anything that is helpful for the environment and helpful for the financial status of the city of Scottsdale,” he said.
The program will be evaluated and reviewed for future potential.
Dining and Cooking