Golden Corral will be most environmentally-friendly restaurant in Downey

Golden Corral in Bellflower. 

DOWNEY -- The new Golden Corral opening this summer at Lakewood Boulevard and Gallatin Road will be one of the most environmentally-friendly restaurants in Downey, officials said.

Golden Corral announced it is partnering with Ecco-Technologies to reduce the amount of organic waste that winds up in dumpsters and landfills. 

"The Golden Corral is the first restaurant in Downey that will be compliant with AB 1826," said Derek Tabak, chief marketing officer of Ecco-Technologies. 

AB 1826 became law in April and requires businesses to recycle their organic waste depending on the amount of waste they generate per week. Mandatory recycling of organic waste is the next step toward achieving California's aggressive recycling and greenhouse gas emission goals. 

The Downey Golden Corral is considered a prime candidate for an organic waste-recycling program because the restaurant expects to generate more than 1,000 pounds of food waste every day. 

Instead of throwing food scraps away, waste will be compacted on-site, creating an odorless, bacteria-free, gray-water bi-product stored in the machine's ozone tank until needed for grinding or other uses. 

"Five ounces of every pre- and post-meal serving is trash," Tabak explained. "And the average diner at a Golden Corral restaurant eats five plates of food." 

Seventy-five percent of restaurant waste is food, which is is comprised mostly of water, Tabak added. 

By recycling its organic waste, Golden Corral expects to save money because its "garbage hauling needs will be greatly reduced." 

"The concept of saving money on waste hauling in a dramatic, environmentally sensitive way is new," Tabak said. "The new law now forces many establishments to put a recycling system in place." 

Golden Corral could open as soon as late July.