USG Dives into Composting!

Did you know that the average American wastes about a pound of food every day?*

In an effort to continue their leadership role in the sustainability efforts, the Universities at Shady Grove recently implemented a composting program for their kitchen operations. Working with local provider nvirelation®, the campus coordinated a trial run of composting of the kitchen operations (also called the "Back of House") for the fall semester. Since we began this program, we have composted over 1,900 lbs of waste.

The food service provider for the Universities at Shady Grove, Bon Appétit Management Company, readily agreed to an experiment for replacing trashcans in their kitchens with composting bins. A long time leader in the sustainable food service movement, Bon Appétit was eager to put our trial into operation. Director of Auxiliary Services Carl May called the latest effort for sustainable food operations at Shady Grove "a great step forward" for the Center.

The kitchen staff takes anything that was once "alive" - for example, meats, vegetables, even waxed paper cups, and puts it into containers that are picked up three times a week. It is taken off the campus and brought to a local composting facility where it is turned into mulch. Composting helps reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills, lowers greenhouse gas emissions, and leads to cleaner local water ecosystems.

With coordination among the Facilities Department, the Green Committee and the Food Service operation, the program began in August. It's hoped that with measured success, the composting program could be extended to the public eating spaces for a more comprehensive waste reduction operation.

*Taken from The New York Times May 18, 2008