"ChiquitaBanana" news and stories

What do you get when you process more than 320 million pounds of fruit a year? Lots of scraps.

Chiquita may be best known for its bananas, but at its plant in Guapiles, Costa Rica, it slices and dices all manner of tropical fruit-pineapples, papayas, passion fruit and mangos -- so that they can be turned into everything from baby food to yogurt.

But what to do with the leftovers? Instead of just letting them go to waste, the company has installed a huge new biodigester.

In Chiquita's press release, Manuel Rodriguez, the company's corporate responsibility officer, gushes: "This technology enables us to harness the full energy potential of fruit materials that previously could not be captured. It provides a sustainable energy source for our facility, nutrient rich fertilizer for local farmers and filters processing water."