Startup 'Ecotone' Opens Location In Swissvale, Turns Food Waste Into Renewable Energy

By: KDKA-TV News Staff

SWISSVALE (KDKA) --  A new startup is looking to turn food waste into renewable energy.

Ecotone Renewables opened in Swissvale this weekend.

This is the work of undergraduate students from the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University.

With this facility, they will turn food waste from local restaurants and people into renewable energy and liquid plant fertilizer, which is used in community gardens, farms, and house plants.

Their goal is to keep waste out of landfills and help others at the same time.

"Right now, 40% of all food is wasted. And we can take measures to reduce food waste, but there's always going to be a certain amount of food waste. So our system here is a decentralized system that processes ten tons of food waste a year on site. So our vision is to build a decentralized grid of systems throughout the Pittsburgh region and eventually across the country," said Dylan Lew, CEO of Ecotone Renewables.

You can drop off your food waste starting on Thursday.

If you want to buy some of the soil, head to Ecotone's website. Click here for more information.