Regenerative Waste To Energy: When we build circular, local, food economies, it is critical that all elements be healthy for all participants. The acronym RWTE is a simple way of remind us all of the importance of the “R” ahead of the W and E:
Regenerative: Does it make things new again? Improve our local or regional environment? Is it not only sustainable, but actually moving the needle back towards repair?
Waste: While we are no fan of this word, we know the intent. It is the food items, cow manure or any discarded element from food production, an institutional cafeteria, etc. that is organic (in our case) in nature.
To (aka “→”): A simple word or transformative concept, but in taking waste TO energy, the regenerative is a pre-amble for the key reason – are you burning trash to make it “go away” or are you actually transforming trash to treasure?
Energy: Energy is a natural bi-product of organic feedstock. Harness it.
When we say “waste to energy” the key question might be: What are we talking about? Can we make energy, or fertilizer for that matter, by any means necessary?
No. The simple reality is that all forms of waste to energy are not equal in the eyes of the planet, our environment and our health.
This category of articles is designed to showcase the difference between regenerative practices vs. ones that are harmful and employ greenwashing in the most harmful sense of the word.
Greenwashing, sadly, is very much part of our optics culture. Organizations like OMRI, BioCycle and many others are dedicated to helping us learn more, do better and make more informed choices.
If you are an institution, hauler, farmer, food processor or anyone that is interested in regenerative waste to energy practices, take our onboarding survey.
Compostbiotic 