On December 7, 2018, District 4 staff participated in a facility tour of Tellus Products, a startup company located in Belle Glade that makes biodegradable food containers from locally grown sugarcane. 

Sugarcane takes about 12 months to fully mature and is harvested annually. Once harvested, the sugarcane is milled to extract the juice, and the fiber that remains is called bagasse. The fiber is used to generate renewable energy and make Tellus products. This begins by processing the sugarcane fiber to isolate pure cellulose. The cellulose slurry is then put into specialized molding equipment. Through custom-forming molds, Tellus shapes the material into take-out containers, plates and bowls. It is then packaged and shipped to companies in the food service industry.