FAIRBANKS, Alaska (KTUU) – In order to encourage residents to grow food locally and increase donations, the Fairbanks Community Food Bank is beginning operation of a Biodigester in its warehouse.
The machine, which composts food waste over 24 hours by heating it to 160 degrees Fahrenheit, is expected to become operational this week. At capacity, 670 pounds of food a day can be composted in the machine.
According to Community Development Director Sam Kirstein, the Biodigester is meant to achieve many objectives for the food bank, including keeping food waste out of the local landfill.
“Our landfill does not need to have more food waste,” Kirstein said.
Of the food received by the Fairbanks food bank, 10% is waste, she explained.
While the Biodigester is capable of processing meat, Kirstein said they do not intend to use it for that purpose because the food bank does not handle enough meat to justify investing in a shredder for it.
Kirstein discussed the intended benefits for local growers.
These growers, she said, are going to receive the compost processed by the Biodigester, regardless of their scale of operation.
“We can encourage more, more people to grow locally if we can give them a good product,” Kirstein said.
From businesses to a personal gardener, Kirstein said all are welcome to bring their food waste to the food bank and receive compost.
In the last year, raw produce donations to the food bank have slowed, according to Kirstein.
For the food bank to complete its operations, she said, “I need five to ten tons of food every day, and in particular, I need at least two tons of food that’s produce, that’s fresh.”
She said this shortage led the food bank in June 2024 to temporarily halt its “Food Is Medicine” program, which provides healthy food to those with a referral from a medical provider.
“We were not getting as much produce from our grocery stores as we had in the past. We needed more,” Kirstein explained.
While the program, which serves 800 people in the interior, was back up and running by August, the organization continues to need additional produce.
“We need more produce to meet the needs of the patients who are needing it, and the grocers give us what they can, but we need to have more local growers so that we can meet the needs of the people who are improving their health by eating fresh food,” Kirstein said.
The Biodigester, according to Kirsten, is intended to encourage more people to grow locally.
“If we have compost made from food waste that we can provide to growers, you know, and it’s free, if you give, if you share your food with us, we want to make sure that we give it to you free, then we hope that that will encourage other people to want to grow more and maybe it’ll reduce their cost,” she added.
It is also, she said, meant to help grocers with processing their food waste “so they don’t have to do such heavy sorting there in their store. We can do that for them now, and so I’m just thinking it’s a win-win all the way around.”
Kirstein said the machine cost $133,000, money secured by five Lions Clubs in the interior in December, with help from the Fairbanks North Star Borough, as well.
The food bank plans to hold a ribbon cutting to showcase the Biodigester to the community toward the end of April.
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