The Cleveland Browns AFC professional football team has started a new waste diversion and recycling program to take left-over food waste and food scraps generated through sports fans at their stadium and convert it into energy.

The a collaboration between the Browns ownership, Ohio State, Forest City Enterprises, and the Quasar Energy Group, the Browns will be the very first professional sports franchise to use InSinkErator’s Grind2Energy food waste conversion system.

Food waste generated at the FirstEnergy Stadium will be collected and transformed into a slurry mixture that can be easily transported to Quasar Energy’s anaerobic digester housed at Ohio State’s Agricultural Research and Development Center. The anaerobic digester will then produce the biogas needed for fuel and energy use.

It is expected that the new food recycling system will divert over thirty five tons of uneaten food waste from landfills each season and help to generate electricity for the entire community. The new partnership will not only help the stadium to reduce fees associated with garbage disposal but also preserve landfill space for those items that cannot be easily and inexpensively recycled or re-used for other purposes.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: Waste reduction and recycling isn’t something you have to do all on your own. Take a look around your community to see if collaborations and partnerships can be created to serve jointly held needs. Pooling resources can be a great way to cut your costs while embracing green technologies!