Welcome to the Haul of Fame, a weekly series from Rubicon in which we sit down with a hauler partner to talk about their company, their community, and how they’re collaborating with Rubicon in our mission to end waste.
As our nation continues to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, the men and women at companies like these are on the front lines, continuing to drive their daily routes and keeping our communities safe and clean. Their work is the linchpin to safeguarding the public health and we thank them, now more than ever, for providing this essential service to our society.
Agri-Cycle Energy, headquartered in Portland, Maine, is a premier food waste collection service, working with a network of processing partners who convert everything from scraps to expired packaged food into clean, green energy. Operating 20 trucks throughout Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and New York, Agri-Cycle is a first-generation hauling company, and a fifth-generation farming company, offering roll-off containers, two-yard containers, and 32- and 64-gallon totes. Agri-Cycle Energy has been working with Rubicon since 2015.
Agri-Cycle Energy’s Sustainable Waste Solutions Manager, Holden Cookson, sat down with Rubicon to talk about his company and mission for the Haul of Fame.
How does Rubicon’s mission to end waste match-up to Agri-Cycle Energy’s own company mission?
Agri-Cycle Energy: Both Agri-Cycle and Rubicon understand that each client’s needs are unique to them. To create a truly resilient and efficient program requires skillful attention to detail to those needs. For example, at Agri-Cycle we are always happy to work with our clients to adapt our offerings to create a mutually successful solution for a customer’s unique needs.
How does Agri-Cycle Energy distinguish itself from the competition?
Agri-Cycle Energy: With five generations of history backing us on our basecamp at Stonyvale Farm, we have a lot to stand on when it comes to our specific brand. We have a culture of being trustworthy, personable, and adaptable; the same characteristics that Stonyvale Farm relied on for five generations and counting.
What is the view of Agri-Cycle Energy when it comes to participating in the circular economy and helping build a more sustainable future?
Agri-Cycle Energy: Our process is entirely full circle. Operating a farm-based anaerobic digester means that when we collect organic waste from our clients, we are also supporting 2,000 dairy cows, and more than 3,000 acres of croplands. Our motto is “Food Full Circle,” and we live by it!
What is one of the oddest items or the largest amount of something you have ever been asked to compost?
Agri-Cycle Energy: We once composted a large amount of spec starch.
What do you love most about the community in which you work, and the customers you serve?
Agri-Cycle Energy: I love the shared sense of respect we all have for each other despite being a part of competing businesses. At the end of the day we are all fighting for the same cause, and that brings us together.
Where does Agri-Cycle Energy see itself five years from now?
Agri-Cycle Energy: In five years we see Agri-Cycle continuing to perfect our craft, building even stronger relationships, and continuing to increase the volume of organics we divert from landfills in order to power more homes with renewable energy.
Chris Watts is Sr. Director of Innovation and Hauler Relations at Rubicon. To stay ahead of Rubicon’s announcements of new partnerships and collaborations around the world, be sure to follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, or contact us today.