Divert, a Massachusetts-based food-waste company has purchased 28 acres in Lexington for $1.3 million to build a facility that will employ as many as 50 workers. The company plans to build a food diversion and energy facility on the site.
Divert was founded in 2007 and to date has processed 2.6 billion pounds of wasted food and used its technology to donate over 13.2 million pounds of food — roughly 11 million meals — to those in need. The company operates 13 facilities across the country, capturing wasted food from retailers and other companies, transforming it into carbon-negative renewable energy, thereby preventing it from emitting harmful methane in landfills. According to Divert, North Carolina generates around 2.7 million tons of wasted food in a year while 1.2 million North Carolinians are food insecure.