Denali says it diverts 5.7M tons of organics annually

Russellville, Arkansas-based Denali, which offers organics recycling services throughout the United States, says it is operating at a pace that has it recycling and diverting some 5.7 million tons of discarded materials annually, with about 700,000 tons of that being food scraps.

The company, which uses several types of technology, says it has processed and recycled more than 1.3 billion pounds of food waste into compost, animal feed, energy and fertilizer since 2021.

The Denali diversion totals have been presented in the company’s 2022 environmental, social and governance (ESG) report, which it released in July. A summary of the report can be downloaded here.

“By diverting and turning this food destined for the landfill into valuable products, Denali has helped partners to collectively save more than 500,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the past two years,” the company says.

“Sustainability remains central to who we are,” Denali CEO Todd Mathes adds. “Denali continues to demonstrate that innovative, sustainable solutions can be cost effective and efficient for customers, from commercial businesses to public municipalities.”

Mathes also tells Waste Today, “At Denali, we believe that food waste diversion from landfills will continue to be a priority. Food is the single largest category of material placed in municipal landfills, and landfills in the U.S. are becoming more expensive to use, more difficult to permit, and more limited in their capacity."

Denali says it has been working to enhance its sustainability reporting and initiatives, including via a materiality analysis and by conducting the first GHG inventory of its operations.

“Denali completed its first GHG Inventory for Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions this year, and we will continue work to quantify emissions for both Denali’s carbon reduction initiatives, as well as for our customers,” Denali Vice President of Sustainability and Business Solutions Kate Worley says.

The firm also added a solar array to power one of its largest facilities, helped the city of Phoenix to host a zero waste Super Bowl with depackaging and acquired firms to achieve a sizable market presence in California, Arizona, Oregon and Washington.

“Two billion pounds of food waste diverted to animal feed, energy and fertilizer means we are that much closer to delivering on the circular economy,” Worley says.

The GHG emissions avoided, based on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s calculation tools, is equivalent to keeping approximately 100,000 cars off the road for one year or providing electricity to more than 60,000 homes for one year, according to Denali.

Working with grocery stores, cities and farmers throughout the U.S., Denali says it is fulfilling its mission to “replenish the Earth by repurposing waste.”

In addition to food waste, Denali diverts and repurposes some 5 million tons annually of materials from food processing facilities and wastewater treatment plants. ”We have the technologies, the facilities, and the skilled team members to recycle most types of organic materials,” Mathes tells Waste Today. ”So, after years of targeted growth through acquisitions, we are focused on landfill diversion of any and all organic waste streams.”

Denali also converted used cooking oil, sometimes collectively known as fats, oils and grease, into about 8 million gallons of biodiesel in 2022.