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Turning Food Waste Into Renewable Energy
At Brubaker Farms, we use anaerobic digesters to recycle food waste and manure into renewable energy and nutrient-rich fertilizer.
Keeping Food Waste Out of Landfills
How Our Digesters Work
Our digesters break down organic material in a controlled, oxygen-free environment. As food waste and manure decompose, methane gas is captured instead of being released into the atmosphere.
That methane is then converted into renewable energy that helps power our farm and nearby homes. What remains after digestion is a nutrient-rich material called digestate, which is reused rather than discarded.
From Food Waste to Fertilizer
Food waste is delivered to our Mount Joy farms by approved haulers and combined with manure in our digesters. After digestion:
- Methane is captured and converted into renewable energy.
- Digestate is used as fertilizer for our crops.
- Excess fertilizer is shared with neighboring farms.
This process reduces reliance on synthetic fertilizers, improves soil health, and keeps nutrients cycling locally.
Why This Matters
Our digester system provides practical, community-wide benefits:
- Captures methane to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
- Generates renewable energy for local use.
- Provides an environmentally responsible solution for food waste.
- Supports sustainable agriculture in our region.
It is a proven way to turn a waste problem into a renewable resource.
A Measurable Impact
Our digester system delivers measurable environmental and community benefits:
- 775 kW of renewable energy produced per hour, enough to power approximately 775 homes 24/7.
- Methane captured and converted to energy, reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
- Heat recovered from the digester engines and reused to:
- Preheat hot water.
- Pasteurize milk for calves.
- Heat the digester vessels and farm buildings.
- Digestate solids reused as bedding for dairy stalls, with excess material used as fertilizer.
- Liquid digestate improved through digestion, making nutrients more plant-available for crops.
- Lower-odor fertilizer applied to fields, improving air quality for surrounding farms and neighbors.
Our digester project has included collaboration with partners such as the USDA, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, and Native Energy.
Partner With Brubaker Farms to Recycle Food Waste
We invite trucking, hauling, and distribution companies to partner with Brubaker Farms by delivering food waste to our anaerobic digester system.
Food waste accepted at our farm is recycled in an environmentally responsible way. Methane is captured and converted into renewable energy that helps power our farm and neighboring homes, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and keeping organic waste out of landfills.
This system is already supporting haulers and food waste generators throughout the region. We pride ourselves in being a quick, simple and cost-effective option to dispose of food waste products like grease trap waste and other food processing residuals. We are fully permitted to accept food waste.
If you are a hauling or distribution company looking for a responsible destination for fats, oils, and grease (FOG) or another food processing residual, or a business seeking an environmentally friendly recycling solution, we welcome the conversation.
Contact us to learn more about partnering with Brubaker Farms.