Turlock is going back to the future with a new facility that turns food waste into usable renewable fuel.
But, unlike the ending of the 1985 sci-fi blockbuster that saw Marty McFly zoom off in a garbage-fueled DeLorean, the company behind the new development is based squarely in scientific fact. Divert, Inc. will build a 70,000 square-foot facility just west of the city that will take food waste from supermarkets, restaurants, agricultural producers and more and convert it into renewable natural gas to fuel homes and businesses.
The Massachusetts-based company was founded in 2007 and currently has 10 facilities across the country. Plans were approved late last year for the 18-acre site on West Main Street, just south of Valley Milk off the intersection of Washington Road. Construction is expected to begin this spring and the finished Turlock plant will be Divert’s largest yet.
Once completed, the facility will process and analyze organic food waste for companies and organizations, donate usable items and then liquefy the rest to be converted into renewable natural gas. Divert has partnered with PG&E, and when fully operational the Turlock facility should produce enough renewable natural gas to fuel about 3,000 homes per year.
The new facility is not Divert’s first investment in the Central Valley. In 2020, the company opened a food analytics and processing facility on Soderquist Road in Turlock. The existing site has about 20 employees and provides data to its customers about its unsold food waste, and then removes the packaging from food products for processing.
Divert Vice President and Head of Public Affairs Chris Thomas said in an email interview that the company’s success with its original Turlock plant was one of the reasons for its expansion to a fully integrated facility that provides analytics, processing and converts the food waste on site.
“Divert is committed to creating advanced technologies and sustainable infrastructure that address wasted food and have a positive social and environmental impact,” Thomas said. “We remain confident in investing in building a facility (in Turlock) not only because of that workforce, but because this is a supportive community committed to economic development.”
Construction will start this spring on the previously vacant agricultural parcel. Some occupied buildings on the southwest corner of the property, including a general store, will remain. The rest of the site will be used to construct a 65,000-square-foot processing plant and attached 6,000-square-foot administrative office and outdoor equipment space.
For its new site in Turlock’s Westside Industrial Specific Plan (WISP) district, Divert is expected to hire about 40 employees, including plant managers, technicians, drivers and other roles. The facility aims to complete construction and open by the second quarter of 2024.
The WISP, which was first adopted by the city in 2006 to encourage more industrial development around Turlock, also saw the opening of the new Amazon fulfillment center last year.
City of Turlock Economic Development Director Anthony Sims, who also serves as a communication officer, said Divert’s new facility will bring many benefits to the region, including a better understanding of the unsold waste produced by food industry retailers and manufacturers, which will help them better manage their inventory and supplies.
“The City of Turlock is open to any number of economic development opportunities that create jobs, improve our local economy, and where applicable, include renewable resources and clean energy,” Sims said. “The city is excited about the future of Turlock being a great city to live, work and recreate.”
Sims said the plant should also help with the state’s new organic waste reduction mandates, from AB 1826 and SB 1383, which aim to reduce greenhouse gas emission that contribute to climate change. According to Divert, some 100 million tons of food is wasted annually, with about half of that going to landfills and incinerators. That waste is then responsible for 15% of U.S. methane emissions and 10% of overall global greenhouse gas emissions.
Divert processes about 232,000 tons of wasted food through its 10 facilities per year. The company also donates usable food it collects, and has donated some 10.7 million pounds of food since it began operations. What isn’t donated is turned into a slurry that then goes through a proprietary on-site anaerobic digester which then turns it into biogas. Once purified, the fuel can then be injected directly into natural gas utility lines.
The food comes from partnerships with a handful of Fortune 500 companies as well as some 5,400 retail stores across the country. Its customers include Albertsons, CVS, Target, Midwest grocery giant Kroger and international supermarket supplier Ahold Delhaize. Divert estimates food retailers waste $25 billion a year in unused/unsold products.
Turlock’s proximity to the Bay Area as well as its location in the agricultural powerhouse of the Central Valley were other reasons it was selected for the new site, Thomas said. Divert has had a similar facility in Southern California since 2012.
The Turlock plant could also partner with more regional agricultural producers, particularly feedstock supply sources, said Karen Warner, CEO of BEAM Circular, a bioeconomic, agricultural and manufacturing initiative aimed at bringing more innovative industries to the valley. BEAM has grown from Stanislaus 2030, a collaborative of business, government and civic stakeholders meant to strategically market the valley for investments and growth over the next decade.
“Divert is a great example of a company that builds upon our region’s strengths while diversifying our economy and creating new family-sustaining jobs,” Warner said. “Local leaders in Turlock and across the county have demonstrated that we are a welcoming community ready and able to support the growth of new businesses who will have a positive impact on our community.”
This story was originally published February 20, 2023 8:00 AM.
