Composting
Students in on-campus apartments can compost their food scraps on campus!
What is compost?
Compost is a soil amendment that is produced when microbes decompose organic materials such as food scraps and yard trimmings. Basically, you throw your food scraps (banana peels, apple cores, pepper guts, eggshells, etc) into a bucket on either campus (MAPS BELOW!). Facilities takes that bucket and tosses it into a big pile, where it decomposes back into nutrient-rich dirt. We can then spread that dirt in campus flowerbeds and "close the loop" of our waste. In nature, there is no "trash" and everything can be recycled into new growth!
Why compost?
Nature has recycled organic matter in this way since the beginning of time. We can't keep putting our waste in landfills forever-- we'll either run out of space or run out of material to put in them. The environmentally, ethically, and economically sustainable choice is to change the way we think about our waste.
- The Sustainability Office is working on transitioning all single-use items on campus to reusable choices or petroleum-free, compostable choices. We're also working on a partnership with local composter Tri-County Organics to give CSB a large-scale compost SYSTEM, so we can handle more items.
- Right now, McGlynns uses some COMPOSTABLE single-use items, such as the soup cups and some of the plastic items. We don't have the system to compost those yet, so they go in the TRASH.
How can you compost at CSB?
- You can compost at CSB by collecting tea bags, egg shells, food scraps, coffee filters and grounds, food peels, vegetables, fruits, bread, rice,and dried leaves in the container provided by the CSB Office of Sustainability. You cannot compost meat, bones, dairy products, paper, pet feces, fats and oils, chemicals, plastic, and citrus. Please stop in our office to receive an airtight container, or use your own container. We use big plastic yogurt cartons, it doesn't have to be high-tech!
- Once your container is full you can empty it into the compost bin at the drop off sites listed above (usually near the dumpsters!) We're working on making sites more clear, so please contact us if you're having trouble!
- The compost from the composting sites is then collected and brought to the compost pile located near the CSB/SJU Transportation Garage and the CSB Full Circle Greenhouse.
Email us with questions and learn how you can start composting.
