The enormous quantity of food waste is always a global concern. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the edible part of total food wastage is estimated at 1.3 billion tonnes annually (FAO, 2013). The prevalent method to handle the food wastage is a process called composting, during which the organic matter being decomposed and collected to produce soil containers. However, the actual situation is that a low percentage of food wastage is composted. Much of it ends up in landfills, which represents a large part of municipal solid waste. This number for America in 2015 is nearly 30% (EPA, 2015).
Composting is a traditional way to recycle useful content in food waste. However, many problems appear in the composting process from households to local collection authorities. The first problem is that a family needs to use a separate container to collect the food scraps. Moreover, the scraps will easily get spoiled since many of them are wet and mixed with each other in a closed container. Then, after the food scraps are sent to collection authorities, the problem turns to inefficiency. It takes weeks, even months to create compost (Sikora, 2013). Additionally, this huge project requires a large outdoor space for the piling. Much manual heap maintenance is also needed large-scale composting, which increases the total expenses.
A suggestion to solve the problems is home composting. FAO has come up with data that, home composting can potentially divert up to 150 kg of food waste per household per year from local collection authorities (FAO, 2013). Thus, inspired by this advice, a food scrap recycler, Frooperlizer, is designed. This machine is able to turn the food scraps into homemade fertilizer. It can solve all the problems mentioned in the problem section. First of all, Frooperlizer is an automatic transformation machine, which requires minimal maintenance. It is in the shape of a trashcan with a suitable size to be put in the kitchen, which does not take up too much space. Second, this machine decreases the probability of food spoilage. Because the composting can be started anytime, which means the food scraps will not be stored for a long time. More importantly, Frooperlizer boasts its efficiency. When starting the machine, the mixing blade begins to churn and break down food scraps. The additive in the box goes into the mixing bin. At the same time, the exchanger will pour the air to catalyze the reaction. With the help of the special additive and a large amount of air, the whole transformation process can accomplish in less than 24 hours, even if the container is full.
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Many households do not have enough knowledge to realize home composting. Even they know, the implementation of the composting is complex. It requires certain maintenance and space. On the contrary, Frooperlizer can turn food scraps into fertilizer effectively. The process is better than composting. The transformation is not only quicker, but also much more sanitary. Since the process is completed in a closed container, the food scraps will not attract pests. Besides, the process will not make obnoxious odors due to the activated carbon filter in the air exchanger. This machine is suitable for those who seldom or never collect the food scraps because of the inconvenience of the traditional treating way. What’s more, the fertilizer is both ready-to-use and healthy. Because the additive contains no harmful ingredients. Thus, this machine is also friendly for households that enjoy gardening. They can spread the fertilizer on the lawn, garden and outdoor potted plants freely.
To implement Frooperlizer, there are many components need to be set up. According to the draft, a cylindrical mixing bin with two open ends is required. The upper end is for putting up the food scraps while the lower end is for the release of fertilizer. The mixing bin should be equipped with a mixing blade. Second, two containers are required for the additive and fertilizer. Third, the air exchanger is made up of two parts. The air goes into the mixing bin from the lower part to catalyze the reaction. The generated gas goes through the activated carbon filter in the upper part and gets out of the machine.
Food waste is a tough issue to resolve. Composting, as a traditional way to deal with the food scraps, is not effective enough. There exist many problems in the whole composting process such as spending a long period for decomposition, taking too much outdoor space, requiring much manual maintenance and causing food spoilage. All the problems can be solved by Frooperlizer, which can transform household food scraps into ready-to-use fertilizer in a relatively small device. Not only can it automatically complete the transformation in 24 hours, but also the whole process is sanitary. This machine is suitable for the households that enjoy gardening or get troubled by the old-fashioned way to collect food scraps. With many advantages, Frooperlizer is very likely to become a brand-new treatment for food waste. More importantly, it can raise people's awareness of food wastage and make them take action to solve this global concern together.