DETROIT – NextEnergy, Bedrock, NoHo Hospitality Group, Orange Sparkle Ball and Ecosphere Organics are supporting a pilot to repurpose restaurant food waste, turning kitchen scraps into coasters and other products restaurants can reuse. NextEnergy secured more than $200,000 from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE), which awarded $5.6 million to various organizations to bolster circular supply chains across the state.
“We pride ourselves on working with partners to improve the quality of life of Detroiters and Michiganders,” said Jim Saber, NextEnergy CEO. “With this funding from EGLE, we can begin testing the functionality of technology meant to reduce air and noise pollution and lessen the amount of organic material going into landfills. Through our partners’ expert research and scaling, the success of this project will help small businesses see a return on their investments while lowering the costs and carbon emissions typically associated with waste management in the downtown corridor.”
The grant, awarded through Michigan’s NextCycle Circular Economy program, supports the pilot in which food waste is picked up from Detroit restaurants with an autonomous robot sourced by Orange Sparkle Ball. The project starts with food pick-ups from San Morello, an Italian-inspired eatery at the Shinola Hotel, operated by NoHo Hospitality Group. Then, the scraps are taken to the Bedrock-owned and NextEnergy-operated Urban Tech Xchange (UTX), where Ecosphere Organics staff evaluates the type of waste received, developing formulas it can use to make new products for the restaurant. Items may include menu holders, table decor, coasters or other pieces. The food waste and resulting finished products will move between the UTX and San Morello — both located on Woodward Avenue — via the ground-based robot.
“The goal of the Urban Tech Xchange is to provide a space where sustainable building innovations can thrive in the city of Detroit,” said Kevin Mull, senior director of urban strategy and innovation for Bedrock. “This Circular Economy grant enables us to utilize Bedrock’s Urban Tech Xchange and San Morello to not only reduce harmful carbon emissions and pollutants that come out of landfills, but to give back to small businesses that are the backbone of the economy. We can’t wait to see Ecosphere Organics and Orange Sparkle Ball collaborate in this space, helping to create a healthier future for Detroit residents and business owners.”
The first phase of the pilot began on July 2, 2025. Future phases, scheduled to begin throughout the summer of the same year, will add additional restaurants from the Bedrock portfolio as pick-up sites for mixed materials. The project will conclude by the end of 2025, with findings from the project meant to inform the feasibility and scalability of similar programs in the future.
“We’re excited to be a partner on the Circular Economy pickup initiative using our Penny Pickup platform to deploy the Ottonomy robot in Detroit,” said Hannah Ranieri, innovation strategist for Orange Sparkle Ball. Detroit is an ideal location to launch this initiative because it’s the home of future mobility and serves as the perfect setting to deploy solutions meant to improve the environment, making life easier and more accessible in urban ecosystems.
“By turning would-be food waste into products small businesses can use, we’re helping them operate more efficiently, cutting their cost of goods and waste management. Through this collaboration, we’re proud to achieve our mission of reducing greenhouse emissions while contributing to Michigan’s goal of a cleaner, healthier future through recycling and upcycling,” said Brittanie Dabney, chief executive officer at Ecosphere Organics.