Equipment spotlight: The ORCA

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In Australia, food service businesses contribute around 1.3 million tonnes of food waste alone each year. The steady rise of products like biodegradable packaging and keep cups has made small steps towards improving the industry’s environmental impact, but there is still a longway to go.

Enter, the ORCA.

Dubbed “the ultimate waste management system” ORCA is an onsite solution that “digests” all your food waste, and turns it into environmentally safe water that’s then disposed of through the sewerage system.

For every 2 tonnes of food waste treated each week by ORCA instead of going to landfill, the greenhouse gas emission reduction is equivalent to taking a car off the road for 6 months. It also prevents around 500 litres of leachate (the liquid that drains from landfill) from entering the water table.

Taking into account the reduction in waste disposal costs (estimated at around $300 per tonne) ORCA claims to be cost-positive, AND environmentally friendly to boot.

So how does it work?

The self-contained stainless steel construction has a door on the top where you “feed” the food waste. Inside, the ORCA’s patented, natural microorganism solution combines with water and recycled plastic bio chips to quickly break down the waste. Through a process called “aerobic digestion” the ORCA churns the materials adding oxygen, which accelerates the transformation from food waste to environmentally friendly fluid.

Currently available in different sizes, ORCA is capable of processing up to 1 tonne of food waste per day.

What’s more, you may be applicable for state and local government incentives for food waste reduction. Here’s some helpful links below….

If you’re looking to ‘up’ the environmental cred of your business AND put some savings back into your pocket, then this might be something to think about.

Visit the funding page to learn more about your funding options with Silver Chef.