Vermont is home to a community dedicated to preserving its pristine environment and its working farms. With food production and the health of Vermont’s waterways, soil, and citizens in mind, the state instituted milestone legislation in July of 2020 that prohibits the commercial or residential disposal of food waste in landfills and incinerators.
One of the strictest legislations in the United States, the Universal Recycling Law has catalyzed responsible and sustainable handling of inedible food and beverage products through anaerobic digestion and composting.
One solution, provided by Vanguard Renewables, is Farm Powered® anaerobic digestion. Vanguard Renewables’ anaerobic digesters are located on dairy farms, and convert food and beverage waste and farm manure into renewable energy. In environmentally-conscious Vermont, food producers are partnering with Vanguard Renewables to turn what was once considered waste into valuable renewable natural gas (RNG) and helping to support a Vermont family dairy farm. The Company’s newest Farm Powered anaerobic digester is located on the Goodrich Family Farm in Salisbury and is the largest in the Northeast and the first in Vermont to incorporate a phosphorus removal system to protect the sensitive Otter Creek Watershed and Lake Champlain. The facility enables the Goodrich Farm to reduce its methane emissions by as much as 90 percent, while also providing the farm with low-carbon fertilizer, bedding for the animals, and energy for farm buildings. The renewable natural gas produced is available to gas customers in Vermont.
As mentioned earlier, the liquid and solid byproducts of the anaerobic digestion process are valuable to the farm, reducing expenses, and improving herd and soil health. But the benefits don’t stop there.
As Vermonters are well aware, Lake Champlain has an ongoing nutrient runoff problem. Excess nutrients cause algal blooms in the Lake, resulting in beach closings and public health concerns. Algae also consume oxygen in the water and block sunlight, and this is harmful to endemic plants and aquatic life. Vanguard Renewables’ phosphorus removal system at the Goodrich Farm extracts the phosphorus from the digestate to prevent this notorious excess nutrient from damaging Lake Champlain and its watershed.
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Vanguard Renewables is proud to work alongside Vermont’s farms, food manufacturers, retailers, and all of Vermont’s citizens toward a sustainable future for the State. The company’s Goodrich Farm anaerobic digester offers socially responsible companies a path today toward lowering their carbon footprint, while sustaining the health of Vermont’s land, water, animals, and people.
Contact Billy Connelly, Vermont Organics Manager at (802) 771-5866 or bconnelly@vanguardrenewables.com to get a food and beverage recycling solution for your business.
