Food grinders have evolved significantly over the years, making food waste management easier and more efficient. Here鈥檚 a look at three generations of food grinders utilized by our college, highlighting how these innovations have become smarter and more practical over time.
Generation 1: The InSinkErator
The InSinkErator was the first generation of food grinders hosted at the Patel College of Global Sustainability. It used an InSinkErator garbage disposal system commonly found in household sinks but modified to be hooked up to a bucket, making it mobile and accessible, especially for smaller economies. This design required water to be poured into the bucket for proper grinding. It made managing food scraps easier, and contributed to the food-water-energy nexus as its scraps could be used for composting.
The Insinkerator uses minimal electricity and turns all food scraps into a slurry that is great for "fertigation" (fertility irrigation) of the garden; we grind and pour the slurry right onto the soil or plants. However, this model is not ideal for the indoors and requires a source of water.
The InSinkErator was a great start, but it didn鈥檛 solve all the problems with food waste.
Generation 2: THE VITAMIX FOOD CYCLER
The PCGS food grinder upgraded with the installment of the Vitamix Food Cycler, which added a heating component. This feature dried out food scraps, which helped reduce smells and made the waste easier to manage. It was perfect for people who wanted a cleaner, fresher-smelling kitchen or in our case, a sustainable, fresher smelling workplace. It's major downsides were the small size relative to the power consumed and the time required. This generation was a big step forward, but was a lot more hands on since grinding and dehydrating were manually controlled by the user.
Generation 3: The Mill Food Recycler
The Mill Food Recycler is a state-of-the-art food grinding system that combines advanced features to efficiently handle food waste. It eliminates odors, significantly reduces waste, creates nutrient-rich material for gardening, and operates quietly overnight for hassle-free use. Equipped with smart sensors, it optimizes grinding time and energy use, while its remote-control functionality makes it incredibly convenient and user-friendly. You can start a grinding cycle from anywhere with internet access through its app.
The PCGS Mill Food Recycler was in part a $1,000 donation by Daniel Kinzer, Grosvenor Teacher Fellow at the National Geographic Society. The Mill stands out as the top choice for PCGS due to its impressive capacity and user-friendly design. While it does need a bit of electricity for heating, its ability to handle large batch sizes, automatic grinding feature, and the straightforward operation of just pressing the foot pedal to dump your food makes it an ideal solution for PCGS.
From the basic InSinkErator to the advanced Mill Food Recycler, food grinders have transformed kitchens into more eco-friendly spaces. These devices not only simplify waste disposal but also turn food scraps into valuable resources, such as biogas for cooking or compost to nourish the crops that sustain us.
This initiative has been overseen by Dr. Thomas Henry (T.H.) Culhane, Concentration Director of the Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation concentration. The Mill Food Recycler is just one of the many climate change-combating solutions explored in his classes, highlighting practical solutions for a sustainable future.