Sustainability is a hot issue at colleges and universities across the country, and initiatives to reduce waste, water and energy consumption are commonplace. Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pa., has implemented an innovative composting program that could have colleges looking at their trash in an entirely new way.
As part of its overall sustainability program, the college developed a composting program that not only reduces foodservice waste, but also provides fertilizer for its student-run farm, located six miles away. The Dickinson College Farm supplies the college dining halls with fresh produce raised without the use of chemicals. Crops provided to the college kitchen include baby spinach, mesclun mix, slicing tomatoes, carrots, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, herbs, cabbage, cucumbers, squash and leaf lettuce.
Growing Instead of Throwing
What started as a small effort to compost salad bar waste has evolved into a large composting program that touches almost every department of Dickinson College Dining Services.
“Today, we collect about 600 pounds of foodservice waste each day for composting,” explains Keith Martin, director of dining services at the college. “This includes kitchen waste, recycled paper napkins, corn-based biodegradable cups and containers, and post-consumer tray waste.”
The organic material is taken to the college farm and mixed with mulch hay, wood chips and dairy manure, and turned into compost. The finished compost supplies the farm soil with a rich and all-natural fertilizer. The program boasts several benefits.
“Kitchen garbage disposals are no longer being used, which reduces the college’s water and energy consumption,” continues Martin. “It has slashed the amount of waste that would end up in a landfill and reduced landfill costs and the fuel associated with waste removal. The college also spends less on fertilizer from outside resources and saves more than $1,300 annually on trash bag costs.”
Pulper Improves Efficiency
Dickinson College recently installed a pulper to make its composting program even more efficient. The college estimates the pulper reduces the size of the compost material by 50 percent, which translates into fewer trips to the farm, further reducing fuel usage and costs. Martin says using the pulper, Dickinson College is able to compost or recycle nearly 75 percent of all waste and has eliminated a dumpster of trash a day.
“Many colleges are incorporating pulpers to reduce the volume of foodservice waste—including food, paper, plastic and Styrofoam—as much as 88 percent,” explains Kevin Woods, LEED AP higher education marketing manager at Hobart. “Foodservice operations can save as much as $17,000 a year in hauling, liner and labor costs, while also cutting water costs, improving employee productivity, improving sanitary conditions and reducing the waste impact on landfills.”
Sustainable programs don’t have to be expensive or complicated. Those colleges and universities that don’t know where to begin could start by looking at what they throw away each day. Thanks to composting programs, student bodies can enjoy the fruits—and certified organic vegetables—of reducing waste.
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Measurable Savings
By simply installing a pulper, colleges can experience:
- Water saving of up to 66 percent compared to using a disposer.
- Ninety-five percent of water reuse from closed-loop design.
- Eighty percent saving on garbage can plastic liners.
- Sixty percent reduction in silverware replacement when using a silver-saver trough magnet.
- Fewer clogged waste lines as far fewer solids flow into the sanitary sewer.
