The Administration of Halls of Residence and Canteens at Mendel University (MENDELU) has acquired equipment for processing food waste, which has been in operation since February. Thanks to this equipment, it is possible to process the vast majority of the waste produced. Moreover, the processed material could potentially be used as fertilizer.

“The device processes food waste by drying it, which reduces the amount of waste by 80 to 95 percent, depending on its composition. At the same time, the process sanitizes the waste, so the resulting material should be suitable for use as fertilizer,” explained Jana Hradská, Director of the Administration of Halls of Residence and Canteens at MENDELU.

The new food waste processing device was installed in January, and began trial operation in February. “Since March, it has been operating in standard mode. However, we are still working with the supplier to resolve minor issues. We are currently addressing the recognition of the processed material as fertilizer,” the director added. The usability of the material as fertilizer is being discussed with the Central Institute for Supervising and Testing in Agriculture, which is also located on the university campus.

The device processes all food waste from the dining facilities of the Administration of Halls of Residence and Canteens at MENDELU. Depending on the menu, the canteens produce 300 to 500 kilograms of food waste per week. The equipment has a capacity of 100 kilograms, and one processing cycle takes between nine and twelve hours.

The cost of the device was CZK 1.5 million, with an additional approximately CZK 100,000 spent on related work, such as modifying the space for installation and addressing ventilation.