Waste-Food Processor Bright Fields Is Coming to the Slate Belt, Contends It Will Help Fend Off Climate Change

Aug. 27, 2026

— Jeff Ward, Lehigh Valley News Briefs

Bright Feeds, which processes food waste into ingredients for animal feed, is coming to Plainfield Township.

Here’s a note from the township’s website about the Connecticut-based company’s plan for 40 Green Knight Drive:

“The proposed Use received a 3-0 recommendation of approval from the Plainfield Township Planning Commission on March 16, 2026, and was subsequently granted a Special Exception by the Zoning Hearing Board, vote 5-0, following a public hearing held on April 22, 2026. The Zoning Hearing Board’s decision was executed and finalized on May 27, 2026, and the appeal period has since passed, making the approval final. As this matter has already completed the applicable approval process, it is not currently on the agenda for consideration by the Board of Supervisors.”

The township made the post to address comments on social media, including some saying Bright Feeds has run into opposition elsewhere because of concerns about truck traffic and potential odors from food processing.

A limited-liability corporation based locally bought the 40 Green Knight Drive property from the Green Knight Economic Development Corp. on Nov. 6, 2025, for $1.16 million, according to Northampton County records.

Bright Feeds promotes itself as an environmental solution to food waste.

“Unused food is a key contributor to climate change. In the U.S., about 40% of food is never eaten—and that waste often ends up in landfills or greenhouse gas-emitting incinerators. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), feeding animals is the top solution for reducing unwanted food after feeding hungry people,” according to the company’s website.

The idea is not new. When I was a child, we kept our food waste separate from trash. Pig farmers would pick it up early in the morning and feed it to swine. That ended when people started putting their kitchen scraps into plastic bread bags, spoiling the meal for the pigs.

That was a small-scale effort. Bright Feeds will process tons of food, including bakery by-products, vegetables, fruit, and other wet food.