Compost Feature

Why is composting important, and how can I do it on campus?

Why compost?

Composting is the natural process by which organic materials decompose into nutrient-rich soil. Food is the most common material in landfills and according to the EPA, food waste causes 58% of methane emissions from municipal solid waste landfills. Methane is a more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide and is 80 times more harmful over 20 years. When food waste is composted instead, it produces at least 50% less greenhouse gas emissions. If all US food waste were composted instead of landfilled, the greenhouse gas impact would be equivalent to removing 7.8 million cars from the road (UCSF).

Compost also reduces the need for chemical fertilizers, promotes higher crop yields, and enhances soil water retention. Compost adds nutrients to soil, and feeds microbes to create more soil biodiversity. In other words, compost is great for soil health! When farmers use compost, they’re reducing the need to use synthetic chemical fertilizers! Additionally, composting also helps soil retain moisture. Soil with compost added to it can hold up to 2.5x more water than soil without compost! (MSU).

What we do

CDS partners with CompostNow and Brooks Contractor to divert food waste and packaging from landfills. CompostNow picks up full compost bins from campus and takes them to Brooks Contractor, a commercial composting facility in Goldston, NC, where the materials are processed and turned into nutrient-rich soil in approximately 4 months.

So, what gets composted in the dining hall? We compost front and back of house waste! This includes leftovers brought to the dish return, trim waste from kitchen prep, and food and BPI certified compostable packaging from our front-of-house composting bins.

We are constantly working to decrease contamination rates in our waste streams. In addition to our signage, we have other educational initiatives to promote our composting program, including Wipe Out Waste, Green Guides, Eat Sort Win, as well as hosting composting workshops in partnership with Edible Campus and the Office of Waste Reduction and Recycling.

Our stats

• In 2024, we composted over a million pounds of waste- that is roughly ____ Rameses of waste diverted from the landfill!
• We donated 1,000 pounds of food scraps to the Edible Campus compost bins in Fall 2024.
• In Fall 2024, our contamination rates were 12% at Lenoir, 33% at Beach Cafe, and 9% at Chase.
• In addition to composting, we diverted an additional 7,500 pounds of food from the landfill through our surplus food donations to the Inter-Faith Council in partnership with the Food Recovery Network, as well as 2,000 pounds to Jenna & Friends animal sanctuary in 2024.

What you can do

One of the most effective and important steps you can do to aid our composting efforts on campus is to make sure you aren’t putting contaminants in the compost and recycling bins. Check out the boards above the waste bins in the dining halls, or our online disposables guide if you need a reminder on what can and cannot be composted. If you are interested in helping educate students on contamination in our compost bins, consider being a Green Guide! Green Guides are student volunteers that help teach people how to sort their waste between composting, recycling, and landfill to prevent contamination. Also, Green Guides receive a t-shirt to wear during their shift and a free meal voucher. Check out this contact form if you are interested.

If you have food scraps from your dorm or apartment, you can take them to the Edible Campus gardens behind Davis- they have compost bins near the sheds! Make sure to only put fruit & vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, or egg shells into the Edible Campus compost site. RHA also offers small compost bins that students on campus can use inside their dorms. If you want to volunteer and learn first-hand about composting check out their volunteer workdays! CompostMates is another organization on campus focused on composting! If you are interested in composting your scraps and live off campus or want to get involved and volunteer with them, you can find more information here.