Russellville, Ark.-based Denali has introduced ReCirculate, its compost and organic potting soil product made from food waste sourced from thousands of grocery stores.
Starting January 2025, ReCirculate will be available for purchase in one cubic foot bags at participating retail locations across the U.S., according to a news release.
Through its technology and services, Denali not only repurposes waste, but aims to help fight climate change by diverting food waste from landfills and returning valuable nutrients to agriculture and horticulture, according to the release.
Food is the most common material in landfills, comprising an estimated 24% of municipal solid waste in the U.S., according to the EPA. When food decomposes in landfills, it produces methane, a greenhouse gas that’s 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide.
“At Denali, we’re on a mission to harness the potential of organic waste and ReCirculate is an example of how we can do that,” Todd Mathes, Denali’s CEO, said in the release. “ReCirculate will leverage the nutrients in organic food waste to help build sustainable green spaces, landscaping, gardens, flower beds and more, all while powering a fully circular economy. The product not only inspires consumers to choose sustainable potting soil and compost but allows retailers to monetize food waste otherwise sent to landfills, while effectively reducing their carbon footprint.”
Denali partners with retailers from national big box stores to regional and independent businesses, to repurpose food waste using innovative depackaging technology that separates organic food waste from its packaging and transforms it into a clean stream of materials, the release said. These materials are then converted into useful products such as compost, soil, fertilizer and renewable energy.
“ReCirculate is an example of how Denali’s unique approach to fighting food waste continues to have a significant impact on climate change, and consumers can feel good knowing they are directly preventing food waste from reaching landfills, and using safe, effective and eco-friendly compost,” Mathes said in the release.
In 2023 alone, Denali recycled 14 billion pounds of organic material, including 1.7 billion pounds of food waste. This was achieved based on Denali’s innovative depackaging services that the company provides to thousands of grocers, food manufacturers, distributors and municipalities nationwide.
Denali’s network of depackaging facilities can separate up to 97% of all trash from organic food waste, including expired food products, recalled items, food scraps and spoiled deli, bakery and produce, according to the company.
