Posts filed under 'Composting'
Recommendations of the President’s Task Force on Sustainability – Spring, 2009
Recommendations of the President’s Task Force on Sustainability Spring, 2009
Task Force Membership: Eric Algoe, Laurie Anderson (Chair), Julia Brooker, Gene Castelli, Karen Crosman, Amy Downing, Jann Ichida, Steve Ishmael, Jim Krehbiel, John Krygier, Kim Lance, Bart Martin, Sara Nienaber, Jim Peoples, Carol Poling, David Robbins, Chris Setzer, Shari Stone-Mediatore, Jack Stenger, Chuck Stinemetz, Paula Travis, Barb Wiehe, Tom Wolber.
Charge: The President’s Task Force on Campus Sustainability is charged with developing recommendations that will lead to a culture of sustainability on the Ohio Wesleyan University campus. Specifically, the task force will examine the President’s Climate Initiative and develop a roadmap for fulfilling commitments made in the initiative and recommend a timeline for specific actions Ohio Wesleyan University can take to become more environmentally friendly. The task force will present its recommendations to the president prior to the end of the spring semester, 2009.
We the Committee propose that before President Jones signs the Climate Commitment, we have a period of public comment to assess the reaction of the broader community. Laurie Anderson and President Rock Jones will communicate information about the Climate Commitment in Faculty Meeting on September 14, 2009 as a starting point for discussion. We anticipate discussion at a second faculty meeting later in the Fall 2009 semester.
Please contact Laurie Anderson or any committee member with e-mail comments.
Task Force Recommendations: PDF file download here.
American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment: Commitment and Web Pages
Note: information posted below and in the categories (to the right) are NOT part of the Task Force Recommendation. Information below concerns various projects and information about Green activities on campus.
Add comment September 9, 2009
Food Waste Reduction @ 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
1 comment March 1, 2009
Ohio EPA Food Scraps Program & Meeting
On February 25 2009 a meeting Central Ohio Food Scraps Diversion Task Force was held in Columbus. The task force is a partnership between the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission, Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, Ohio Department of Natural Resources and the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio.
Presenter 1: Joe Goicochea
- joe.goicochea@epa.state.oh.us
- Ohio EPA Division of Solid and Infectious Waste Management, Food Scraps Program
Food Scraps Program: education, funding, and forging partnerships
- food waste is the least recovered of waste in the US
- Youngstown State University study: food waste as 35% of university waste
- challenge: lack of composting facilities (changing)
- challenge: low Ohio disposal fees (cheaper to dump than to compost)
Hierarchy of Food Waste Recovery:
Private & Public sector projects:
- Ohio Grocers Foundation: training manual and composting program
- Kroger: composting program & training video (Marne Fuller): Delaware store south of OWU Campus will be involved in program in the future.
- Residential Collection: Huron, OH will begin collecting food waste with yard waste this year. Inspired by nearby resorts who compost their food waste.
- Youngstown State University composting (using EarthTub composter)
- Ohio University on-campus solar powered composting
Presenter 2: Tim Berlekamp
- Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio (SWACO)
- Ohio law considers food waste to be solid waste, and thus solid waste fees apply when dumping. Disincentive to recycle food waste.
- SWACO has developed a system to capture methane from landfills to power SWACO vehicles. Thus food waste in landfills is not a total waste
Presenter 3: Erin Miller
- Mid Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC)
- Waste Reduction Group, part of Energy & Environment Program
Presenter 4: Angel Arroyo-Rodriguez
- angel.arroyo-rodriguez@epa.state.oh.us
- Ohio EPA Division of Solid and Infectious Waste Management, Food Scraps Program
Presenter 5: Marne Fuller, Kroger
- first, donate viable food (food donation program), then compost
- currently, program is cost neutral
Additional Important Meeting Comments:
Composters need food waste mixed with paper, yard waste, untreated wood.
Food waste is heavy (3 cu yards = 1 ton) thus expensive to dispose of
Begin to simplify waste stream:
- Plastic and glass to recycle
- Food waste, yard waste, and paper to composter
- Non recyclable material to landfill
1 comment March 1, 2009
