Green OWU

Potential for Food Waste Recovery & Composting at OWU

Food waste reduction, recovery, and composting fits into the Waste Minimization category of the President’s Climate Commitment.  Given efforts already underway by Chartwells on campus, the existence of grant money to fund composting, and the potential for medium and long-term cost savings for the university, a focus on Food Waste seems to be a viable immediate action activity.

Basic Facts:

• food waste is the least recovered of waste in the US
• Youngstown State University study: food waste as 35% of university waste
• Food waste is heavy (3 cu yards = 1 ton) thus expensive to dispose of
• Composters need food waste mixed with paper, yard waste, untreated wood (thus food waste is part of a larger group of compostable materials that the campus produces)

Food Waste Strategy:

Simplify waste stream:

• Plastic and glass and some paper to recycle
• Redirect viable food for people, animals, industrial uses
• Remaining food waste, yard waste, and paper to composter
• Non-recyclable material to landfill

Challenges:

• lack of composting facilities (changing)
• low Ohio disposal fees, thus cheaper to dump than to compost
• cost of self-composting (but grants available)

Current Food Waste Reduction at OWU

• Project Trim Trax: Tracking and reducing production and leftover waste at Smith POD
• Project Clean Plate: Tracking edible waste from students in an attempt to lower waste and food cost
• Weekly food donations to Common Grounds Ministry
• STEP: Renewable Packaging for a sustainable future.
• recycle fryer oil

See overview of issues at the MORPC meeting (notes here)

Coordinate with enhanced recycling program (Buildings & Grounds involvement)

Model 1: On campus composting (like Youngstown State)

• Plan & map to recover and deliver usable food waste (viable campus food waste is picked up; find out who does this; further sources of viable food waste on campus, expand to near-campus sources, collaborate with Kroger?)
• Map of sources of campus food waste, yard waste, wood, paper w/approximate amounts
• Grants to pay for part or all of composter (see Youngstown State University composting program using EarthTub composter)
  
• Save cost of hauling food waste and yard waste (need estimate of these costs from Buildings & Grounds and Chartwells; where does food and yard waste currently go? Composter or landfill?)
• Use compost & mulch on campus for landscaping
• Sources for Biodiesel project
• Save on purchase of mulch, fertilizer  (need estimate of these costs from Buildings & Grounds)
• Use compost and mulch for rain gardens (rainwater harvesting project)
• Work to replace non-compostables with compostables on campus (cutlery, cups, plates, etc.)
• Develop plan which is cost neutral

Model 2: Off-campus composting

• Plan & map to recover and deliver usable food waste (viable campus food waste is picked up; find out who does this; further sources of viable food waste on campus, expand to near-campus sources, collaborate with Kroger?)
• Map of sources of campus food waste, yard waste, wood, paper w/approximate amounts
• Details on two composting facilities in Delaware County
• Use compost & mulch on campus for landscaping
• Sources for Biodiesel project
• Use compost and mulch for rain gardens (rainwater harvesting project)
• Work to replace non-compostables with compostables on campus (cutlery, cups, plates, etc.)
• Develop plan which is cost neutral