Food Waste Composting: College and University Facilities

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Food Waste Composting College and University
Facilities

• Erica Spiegel
• Recycling Solid Waste Manager
• University of Vermont

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Issues to Consider

• Who is involved? Does institution have contracted
  or in-house food service provider?
• Does contract language address composting
  (recycling waste management) responsibilities?
• Who pays for the trash service? (Who has the
  financial incentive to reduce solid waste?)
• UVM contracts with Sodexho Campus Services

Sec. 5.12   Environmental Initiatives.  Sodexho
will participate in all University environmental
initiatives as appropriate including composting
and recycling programs and will provide
recommendations for expanding and enhancing
current campus initiatives through the annual
review of the Strategic Action Plan.
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Pre-Consumer Food Waste from Kitchen to Dock

• Provide systems in kitchen and prep area to make
  it easy for staff to participate.
• Ergonomic / worker safety issues.
• Motivate / encourage staff to participate.
• Dining management has financial interest to
  reduce amount of wasted food

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Post-Consumer Food Waste from Plate to Dock

• Are consumers (students) asked to separate their
  food scraps?
• Much easier to do if reusable plates/china are
  used.
• Almost impossible to do in areas that use
  disposable plates, etc.

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• Or, do dining service workers separate food
  scraps behind the scenes?
• Students place trays in dish return area they
  are not asked to do anything active perhaps
  not even aware of composting.

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Loading Dock Issues

• Truck Access
• Storage Location
• Storage Capacity
• Container type
• Weather (freezing and heat)
• Vector Control
• Sanitation Cleaning Carts
• Signage

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From Dorm Room to Dock

• Audit of residential area waste reveals that 15 -
  20 is compostable food residuals.
• Mostly snacks, uneaten foods, spoiled foods,
  leftover take out food. Often, foods still in
  the package.
• The Challenge how to collect little bits of food
  being generated throughout a building that houses
  500 students.
• Housekeeping/Custodial staff do not want to be
  involved.

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Dorm Room to Dock Options

• Small cellulose paper bags no longer available ?
• Pilot program giving out quart-size containers.
• Volunteer Eco-Rep students set up buckets in
  halls, and transport food waste to a nearby
  loading dock.
• Informal Survey Most students are unwilling to
  walk farther than own hallway to be able to
  compost food scraps.

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Next Frontier Packaging Waste

• PLA-plastics or bio-plastics
• BPI- Approved
• Biggest opportunity for use in special and
  catered events.

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Case Study Orientation Picnic

• 500 attendees
• Everything used, served 100 compostable
  utensils, unbleached napkins, uncoated plates,
  FabriCal cups

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• All trash was compostable.
• Taken to Intervale Compost Facility

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Dont Overlook the Details

• Dont overlook the small details, as these have
  big implications on contamination in the food
  waste residuals stream.

or
or
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Erica M. Spiegel Recycling Solid Waste
Manager University of Vermont Physical Plant
Department Erica.Spiegel_at_uvm.edu www.uvm.edu/recyc
le