For over six years, Elytus’ waste management software has been helping large retailers and restaurant chains more efficiently manage their waste, from procurement to payment. For the next five, it will be working with a nationally-known grocery store chain that embodies sustainability to measure its efforts.
The contract comes at a time when the national conversation about waste, from food to recycling, is gaining voices. When The Metropreneur last checked in with Elytus, Founder Matthew Hollis reported an increasing interest from businesses in more recycling and sustainable waste-removal methods than whatever option was least expensive.
“We’re continuing to see that grow in interest from a number of different folks,” Hollis says. Many of the company’s new customers are much more focused on understanding their waste stream and where it’s going, “With the big push being food waste,” Hollis adds. “In the past six to 12 months food waste has really become an issue that’s getting some much needed attention.”
It’s an epidemic important to Elytus’ latest client. Hollis says the large, somewhat decentralized grocery store chain wants to be able to look at any store across the nation and know how much waste it diverted from the landfill. The stores can find those numbers today, but it’s not easy to calculate, which is why the grocery turned to Elytus.
Elytus’ software solution helps the company align with their image of being an environmental steward, making sure that the dollars they are spending go towards the most sustainable solutions. Elytus piloted the program for the grocery store chain in one region, before expanding to six regions, and now the whole operation across North America.
The grocery chain joins several geographies in its concern for food waste. When comparing areas like Columbus to the coasts, in coastal regions the cost to dispose of trash is extremely high, making recycling and better disposal of food waste more economical.
In Columbus, “There’s a significant lack of infrastructure for composting and food waste in the city,” Hollis says.Â
Outside of a conversation about food waste, the contract has created three new positions at Elytus, bringing the company up to 30 total employees (with a few more spots to fill). Also pivotal to Elytus’ growth was a move to a larger space in the Brewery District, going from 2,500 to 10,000 square feet at 601 S. High St.
For more information, visit elytus.com.
