Fourways recycling company uses restaurant food waste for compost

Ever wondered what happens to all the grease and fat from the kitchens at restaurants?

A lot of it lands up in the sewage system, but recycling company Organic Matters based at Riversands Incubation Hub in Fourways is trying to change that, the company told Fourways Review.

READ MORE: Springs business finds innovative way to reuse used motor oil

Director of Organic Matters, Siya Sigcau said most restaurants focused on the front desk of their business. “That’s where we come in and deal with the cleaning of grease and grime collected from the food and waste of the [restaurants]. From there we take the fat to a composting plant to recycle it, and sell it again to the market.”

He explained that they used vacuum cleaners to suck the grease out of restaurants’ grease traps. “It is very important that a restaurant environment remains optimally clean, especially with outbreaks such as listeriosis, hence most of our clients want call-backs, plus they receive a certificate of recycling after we are done cleaning their restaurant.”

A grease trap before it is cleaned by Organic Matters.

A grease trap after it is cleaned by Organic Matters.

Sigcau’s business partner Mandy Collins added they scrubbed the grease traps so they were thoroughly clean. “I must say a lot of people throw their fat down the stormwater drain, which is illegal, so our service saves the country’s infrastructure as fat congeals closing the pipes which then doesn’t allow water to pass through.

“With all the fat we gathered, we compost it and dispose of it into compost lines. We then distribute it to various places and one of them is the vegetable garden here at the incubation hub.”

Sigcau said they were the first black-owned company who provided this service. “We thought of innovative ways on how to offer our services instead of doing what other waste companies are doing already. Like arranging times with our clients to clean their grease traps at a time convenient for them, unlike other companies who don’t negotiate their services with their clients.”

He concluded that being in the waste industry required passion and wanting to make a difference. “We are also passionate about the development of an individual as we employ drivers and cleaners.”

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android