>> ROUGHLY ONE THIRD OF THE FOOD PRODUCED IN THE
WORLD FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION EVERY YEAR, APPROXIMATELY 1.3
BILLION TONS, GETS LOST OR WASTED.
WHILE THOSE NUMBERS MAY BE STAGGERING AND POSSIBLY HEART
BREAKING, THERE IS A POSITIVE SIDE TO IT.
IF DISPOSED OF CORRECTLY, THAT FOOD WASTE CAN BECOME COMPOST,
WHICH WILL HOPEFULLY BE USED TO GROW MORE EDIBLE PRODUCTS.
CONNECTING POINT'S BRIAN SULLIVAN MET UP WITH A
NONPROFIT IN GREENFIELD TO FIND OUT MORE.
>> RESIDENTS LIVING IN AND AROUND THE DOWNTOWN GREENFIELD
AREA MAY HAVE STARTED TO NOTICE MORE AND MORE OF THESE WHITE
BUCKETS AT THE ENDS OF DRIVEWAYS OVER THE PAST YEAR.
SINCE MAY OF 2018 WHEN THE OPERATION FIRST GOT UNDER WAY IT
HAS HAD A CROWD ATTRACT AS CROWD EFFECT AS RESIDENTS AND LOCAL
BESTS HAVE TAKEN PART IN THIS PICK UP AND DELIVERY SYSTEM.
IT IS PHONE AS THE COMPOST COOPERATIVE WHICH IS A MEANS OF
RAISING COMMUNEITY AWARENESS ABOUT THE AMOUNT OF FOOD WASTE
WE CREATES AND WHAT WE, AS A SOCIETY, CAN DO ABOUT IT.
IN THE PAST WE LOOKED AT GARBAGE AND THE METHODS ICED TO REDUCE
THE CARBON FOOT PRINT.
WE DEVELOPED INTO THE WORLD OF RECYCLING TO SEE WHAT CAN BE
DONE GET MORE MATERIALS IN THE RECYCLING STREAM.
BUT FOOD WASTE AND COMPOSTING FLY UNDER THE RADAR.
ACCORDING TO ALARMING NUMBERS, THEY SHOULDN'T BE.
A RECENT STUDY SHOWS THAT FOOD WASTE IS ESTIMATED TO BE BETWEEN
30 AND 40% OF THE ENTIRE UNITED STATES FOOD SUPPLY OR ROUGHLY
133 BILLION-POUNDS OF FOOD ANNUALLY.
THE COMPOST CO-OP, TACKING CANNING THIS ISSUE ON THE LOCAL
LEVEL IS ENOUGH TO GARNISH HEADLINES AND THERE SOMETHING
BIGGER AT STAKE FOR THEM.
>> THE IMPETUS FOR THIS BUSINESS, DEVELOPED INSIDE THE
FRANKLIN COUNTY JAIL, WAS TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM OF PEOPLE
COMING OUT OF JAIL AND NOT HAVING ANY OPPORTUNITY TO GET
LIVING WAGE WORK OR TO FIND A PLACE TO LIVE AND THIS IS WHAT
BRINGS THEM BACK SO THERE IS A BIG, THERE IS A SORT OF MAGNET
PULLING PEOPLE BACK INTO THE SYSTEM.
>> HER RIDE ALONG PARTNER KNOWS FIRST HAND ABOUT THAT SYSTEM,
HAVING BEEN IN AND OUT OF IT SINCE HE WAS A TEENAGER.
NOW AN APPRENTICE WITH A CO-OP, HE IS GETTING A CHANCE THOUGH
SHOW HE IS NOT SOMEBODY WHO SHOULD BE SHUNNED OR FEARED BY
THE PUBLIC BUT AN OPPORTUNITY TO BECOME AN OWNER IN A MISSION
ROOTED IN HIS BEST INTEREST.
>> I'VE MADE A LOT OF MISTAKES IN MY TIME, AND RIGHT NOW I'M
TRYING TO BE THE NEW PERSON THAT I AM.
I'VE ALWAYS HAD A GOOD HEART, AND TO FIND MY NICHE INTO
SOMETHING I'M PASSIONATE ABOUT.
AND THIS IS SOMETHING I'M PASSIONATE ABOUT COMPOST, NOT
POLLUTING THE EARTH.
IF YOU SEE SOMETHING ON THE GROUND ACTION PICK IT UP, DON'T
THROW IT ON THE GROUND, DON'T BE PART OF THAT PROBLEM OKAY BE
PART OF THE SOLUTION.
>> UNLESS IT GETS THROWN ON THE GROUND HERE, THEN IT IS
PERFECTLY OKAY.
THIS IS MARTIN'S FARM WHERE FOOD WASTE IS THE ORDER OF THE DAY
SINCE THEY'RE THE LARGEST COMPOST FARM IN ALL OF WESTERN
PASSENGER.
THEIR LOCATION IN GREENFIELD IS A PERFECT FIT FOR THE CO-OP WHO
IN THE GRAND KEEP OF THIS OPERATION ARE JUST A TINYING
COULD.
>> THEY MAY BE SMALL BUT THEIR HEART IS HUGE.
THEY'RE PASSIONATE, AS I AM, ON MAKING THE DIFFERENCE, MAKING
THAT GREEN CHOICE, MAKING THE RIGHT CHOICE AND TAKING ORGANICS
OUT OF THE WASTE STREAM SO THEY DON'T GO INTO THE MASSACHUSETTS
LAND FILLS ANY MORE.
THEY HAVE A WONDERFUL HEART AND IT SHOWS.
>> BIG HEART AND GOOD INTENTIONS ASIDE, THIS IS BIG BUSINESS WITH
BIG, EXPENSIVE EQUIPMENT NEEDED TO KEEP IT OPERATIONAL.
BUT, SINCE OCTOBER 21, 2014, WHEN THEY BANNED THE DISPOSAL OF
COMMERCIAL ORGANIC WASTE TO LAND FILLS BY INSTITUTIONS THAT
DISPOSE OF 1 TON OR MORE OF MATERIALS PER WEEK, BUSINESS IS
ENOUGH HERE TO KEEP THE FIELDS FULL FROM JANUARY TO DECEMBER.
THESE PILES ARE KNOWN AS WIND DROVES AND THEY CAN BE REPLACED
YEAR AROUND.
THEY GET STOCK PILED OVER THE WINTER MONTHS.
IT IS THE HOT AND DRY SUMMER MOBILITIES WHERE THEY'RE
SCREENED AND TURNED INTO COMPOST.
IF CONDITIONS ARE WET, THAT CAN BE A CHALLENGE FOR BUSINESS
AROUND HERE.
>> WHEN THINGS ARE HOT AND DRY, WE'RE ABLE TO LAY OUT COMPOST
THAT HAS BEEN TO THROUGH THE WHOLE PROCESS, AND WE'RE ABLE TO
DO OUR SCREENING, WHICH IS THE LAST STEP IN THE PROCESS.
AND, WHEN THE COMPOST IS TOO WET BECAUSE OF AN ABUNDANCE OF RAIN,
COMPOST HOLDS FIVE TEAMS ITS WEIGHT IN WATER, WHICH IS
WONDERFUL WHEN YOU GET IT INTO YOUR GARDEN BED AND SOIL, BUT
THROUGH THE PROCESS IT MAKES IT VERY DIFFICULT TO SCREEN.
>> AND THAT SCREEN PROCESS YOU BELIEVED IDEAL CONDITIONS
PRODUCES A QUARTER INCH COMPOST WHICH SHOULD PRODUCE A GARDENING
EXPERIENCE.
I COULDN'T HELP BUT DRAW COMPARISONS BETWEEN THE ACTIVITY
HERE AND WHAT THE COMPOST CO-OP WAS ATTEMPTING.
WHILE THEY'RE TAKING IN MATERIALS THAT WOULD HAVE
OTHERWISE ENDED UP IN A LAND FILL AND GIVEN THEM A NEW LIFE
FOR SOIL-RICH PRODUCTS AND IT GIVES THEM A CHANCE TO MAKE KNEW
N LIVES FOR THEMSELVES AND ALSO HELPING THE ENVIRONMENT.
>> THIS IS AN EFFORT TO INTERRUPT THE SYSTEM AND TO SORT
OF EMBRACE THE IDEA THAT EVERYBODY IS WORTHWHILE AND THAT
EVERYBODY CAN CONTRIBUTE, AND PEOPLE REALLY WANT TO CONTRIBUTE
TO THEIR COMMUNITIES.