Your business could power your neighborhood.
Generate clean energy, measurable savings, and community goodwill for your brand.
Progress with Purpose
Legacy Biomass
We make circular energy viable for businesses of every size.
What We Do
We're committed to turning everyday waste into energy.
Communities lose value every day by sending organic waste to landfills. Composting is inconvenient, costly, and inconsistently supported by local infrastructure, especially in cities like Chicago. Consumers have no real incentive to separate food waste, and biomass conversion remains out of reach for most urban areas and businesses.
At Legacy Biomass, we absorb the capital risk, handle the technology, and share the upside. Together, we turn waste into savings, verified ESG progress, and new revenue streams.
Waste is expensive. Energy is valuable. We connect the two.
Why is biomass better?
Biomass energy is the perfect mix of traditional and renewable energy sources. Biomass facilities require less land use, less startup and operating costs. Unlike other sources, Biomass energy can be operational in a shorter period of time with usable byproducts: heat for onsite greenhouses and high-quality liquid fertilizer.
How it works
Legacy Biomass sits at the intersection of waste management, energy, and data analytics. We are helping organizations reduce waste costs and generate new revenue through shared-value, community-powered infrastructure.
Drop
We collect food scraps onsite or nearsite. Skip the dumpster.
Digest
Our Anaerobic Digestor (AD) breaks down collected food scraps and other organic material. A process that takes days, not months.
Power
Our AD unit generates electricity and organic fertilizer. We capture it, sell it, and share the upside with our partner businesses.
We help forward-thinking businesses make real, measurable impact on their communities.
You don’t have to be a big business to think big picture.
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Anaerobic digestion is a process that turns food scraps and other organic waste into something useful. In simple terms, microbes break down the waste in an oxygen-free tank and create two valuable outputs: clean energy and a nutrient-rich liquid fertilizer. It is the same basic process that happens in nature, just guided and contained so we can put the results to work.
It is a smart alternative to landfills because it captures the energy locked inside our waste instead of letting it escape as polluting methane gas. It also cuts down on hauling costs, reduces odors, and keeps heavy, wet material out of dumpsters. For businesses, campuses, and communities, anaerobic digestion offers a practical path toward reducing waste while generating something positive in return.
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Clusters of nearby businesses pool their food waste and share the value of a single anaerobic digestion unit. Instead of each organization trying to solve the problem alone, this model creates a small neighborhood network that feeds one system and benefits together.
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For organizations that want to host an anaerobic digester on their property. We outline what is required, what is possible, and what the return will look like, so teams can move forward with clarity and impact.
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Translate the environmental and community benefits of anaerobic digestion into language that resonates with stakeholders, funders, and customers. The goal is to make the value feel real, measurable, and aligned with broader goals.
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We design and lead workshops that demystify organic waste, help people understand their role in the circular economy, and build support for local waste-to-energy solutions.
The community wants better ways to reduce food waste and keep it out of landfills. They want businesses to lead the way.
Community Voices:
“I look at this giant curbside bin that I almost never fill. There has to be a better way.”
"I am a former elementary school teacher and 'food waste' immediately makes me think of the COPIOUS amounts of food wasted at schools."
"I am very worried about the environment."
"Thank you for working on this important issue"
"There have been many changes locally...that have caused us to cut back until we figure out a new system that works for us."
"We have a busy lifestyle and need to have a compost solution that is easy and convenient"
Community Voices: “I look at this giant curbside bin that I almost never fill. There has to be a better way.” "I am a former elementary school teacher and 'food waste' immediately makes me think of the COPIOUS amounts of food wasted at schools." "I am very worried about the environment." "Thank you for working on this important issue" "There have been many changes locally...that have caused us to cut back until we figure out a new system that works for us." "We have a busy lifestyle and need to have a compost solution that is easy and convenient"
People see the problems in current systems. When we heard from 100+ people in less than 24 hours about their current food waste habits and solutions, they were passionate about preventing food waste. In fact, most people had already tried to make changes. But without the right infrastructure, individuals fail.
Take our consumer survey! We collect ongoing research on food waste habits and share insights with our clients and community partners.
Why don’t businesses already use Anaerobic Digesters?
Most businesses don’t use AD units today for reasons that are mostly about friction. The benefits are clear, but the path to get there has felt complicated, expensive, and out of reach.
Here is the real story…
Many organizations assume anaerobic digestion is only for large farms or giant plants. They have never seen a small, containerized unit that fits in back-of-house storage, a garage, or the alley behind a cluster of restaurants. Even though the return on AD units is strong, the initial investment can feel too heavy for a single small or mid-size business. There is also the fear of “one more system to manage.” Leaders and owners already juggle waste hauling, utilities, compliance, equipment, and staffing. If a solution feels technical or labor-intensive, it gets pushed to the bottom of the list. Finally, the space and utility requirements can be confusing. Leaders often assume they don’t have the footprint or the hookups needed, when in reality a well planned unit often fits into a corner of an alley, parking pad, or service yard. None of these barriers are permanent. They just need clarity, shared cost models, and a partner who can translate the opportunity into something simple and actionable.
This is where Legacy Biomass can help. We provide a clear path to implementing and benefitting from AD and help businesses move toward real environmental, community, and business impact.
Contact Us
Interested in working together? Fill out some info and we will be in touch shortly. We can’t wait to hear from you!