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5 questions for... Lydell L. Newby

Swine and Dine

Lydell L. Newby, Mall of America’s environmental manager, helped the center cut waste-disposal costs.

The 4.2 million-square-foot behemoth known as Mall of America plays host to more than 42 million visitors a year. With that kind of traffic comes trash, literally tons of it, according to Lydell L. Newby, the mall’s environmental manager. Four years ago, in an effort to reduce waste removal costs, Newby helped launch an innovative program — dubbed the Pig Bucket Program — to the delight of a local farmer and his 2,000 hungry pigs. Each day the farmer drives 90 miles to collect leftovers from such restaurants as Napa Valley Grille and California Cafe, returning just in time for a late brunch.

How did the Pig Bucket Program get started?

About five years ago we worked out a deal with a local farmer: We subsidize his gas and expenses to pick up a portion of our wet waste, which allows us to save money by not throwing it into the waste stream. We generate in the neighborhood of about 125 to 140 tons of wet waste every month.

How does the farmer benefit?

It saves him from having to own a ton of land to subsidize the food to feed his pigs. He actually owns two farms, and by doing this he can dedicate more space for hog rearing instead of having to maintain his own crops to feed them. He comes every day and takes 35 to 50 of these 33-gallon containers of leftovers, so he’s got a consistent food source all winter long.

What kind of garbage are we talking about? Are they getting five-star meals?

Oh, better. The program encompasses food from the processed to the uneaten, so if the restaurants have cakes, pies, french fries, steaks — anything that goes uneaten for the day or is left over — we will accept it. Every one of our restaurants participates.

Does the farmer use a secret recipe to prepare these delicacies?

He actually takes the food waste directly from here, takes it back to his farm, and puts it into three old cement mixers where it’s all mushed together and steamed at 220 degrees. The pigs are actually getting a conglomerate of food from all the restaurants — I guess you’d call it a leftover food stew.

These pigs must be spoiled. Has there been any consideration to feed other livestock?

From what he tells me, they eat this stuff faster than they eat anything else he gives them, but he’s strictly a hog farmer. I would say that 50% of the hogs he raises go directly to Hormel. It’s kind of a strange paradox if you think about it — true recycling.