WVII interviews Pendse about waste-to-fuel facility for ‘Trash to Treasure’ series

Hemant Pendse, director of the University of Maine’s Forest Bioproducts Research Institute, spoke with WVII (Channel 7) for reports in its “Trash to Treasure” series. In a story on worldwide recycling changes, Pendse spoke about the benefits of recycling through Fiberight’s Coastal Resources of Maine facility in Hampden, which is counting on food waste to make one of three different biofuels. “There is no sorting involved ahead of time because they are the ones doing all the sorting,” said Pendse, who was tasked in 2015 with conducting an independent technical study of the plant. According to another report in the series, the facility combines a recycling plant and three different fuel processors — one that makes biogas, one for clean organic cellulose pulp, and a third for fuel bricks that one day may make heating fuel. In that report, Pendse spoke about the many potential uses for cellulose pulp. “They also have an intermediate step where they create what they call clean organics, which is like pulp — not to make paper — but to do something else,” Pendse said. “I think that is an important resource that is going to add value.”