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Waste to Watts
Turn your food waste into electricity
how does it work?
Food waste is accepted 24/7 for drop-off at the Street Department at 705 S. River Road, West Lafayette.
Food waste is also collected from Purdue dining halls, Greek houses and any participating organizations.
The food waste is sent to an anaerobic digester at the Water Resource Recovery Facility, where it converts the food waste into electricity and eventually fertilizer for local farmers.
What can i donate?
Fruits
Vegetables
Bread
Dairy
Meat (no bones)
Processed foods
What can't i donate?
Bones
Avocado pits
Melon/pumpkin rinds
Pineapple tops
Utensils
Packaging
Yard waste
New pilot program
We are testing a prototype of an automated weight logger at the drop-off site to communicate individual food waste contributions back to you!
Our first trial was set up from July 22 to August 4. We are currently troubleshooting and making improvements for a second phase.
This prototype was built by Purdue students on a volunteer basis. Equipment bugs & quirks along the way are expected, especially battling storms and the summer heat!
If something isn’t working when you arrive, please email us.
what's the problem?
To simplify a complex topic, food waste sent to landfills decomposes without oxygen, leading it to release methane. Methane is a much more potent greenhouse gas than what you're probably familiar with, carbon dioxide. According to a study by the EPA, in 2018, 103 million tons of food waste was generated across all sectors. 24 percent of that was due to residential waste.
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