“Squish those bins”: Composting returns to campus

Composting is a vital factor in sustainability on campus, and various organizations and individuals are putting forth their efforts and passion in order to make Gustavus’s Zero Waste Initiative a reality.
“Several years ago, the Environmental Studies department received significant grant money and chose to invest in an industrial composter,” Junior Sustainability Intern Kendra Held said.
A rare opportunity for any college campus, Gustavus has also had a unique collaboration with campus services to make composting an option without outsourcing to outside vendors for food services and waste management.
“We have a Dining Services program that is run through the campus that allows for flexibility and control over our composting process,” Held said.
Dining Services also was a factor in providing a fully compostable dining ware.
“All items that say ‘BPI Certified’ or ‘Greenware’ are compostable, and can be found at every dining spot on campus,” Held said.
There is also signage around campus showing what can or cannot be put in recycling and composting receptacles.
Now, many changes are in the works regarding composting, collection and processing.
“There has been [a lot] of student interest in composting, and thanks to that, this year we are increasing compost collection sites on campus,”Sustainability Intern and Junior Ochtrup-Dekeyrel said.
Composting collection sites could previously only be found in the Jackson Campus Center and Nobel Hall of Science, but now collection sites can be found in nearly every building on campus, including both academic and residential buildings.
“This doesn’t mean that problems we’ve faced in the past are gone now. They just simply present themselves in alternative ways. Composting machinery, transport, and storage are much more expensive than most people would think,” Held said.
Composting on campus also requires large amounts of manpower among students, faculty and staff.
“Composting is a collaborative effort. Not just between students and faculty, but even among different councils and organizations on campus,” Audrey Ochtrup-Dekeyrel said.
“Dining Services, Building Services and Physical Plant are so important in making this process a reality… as students we don’t share our gratitude with them enough,” Held said.
Composting barriers that students may directly notice come in the form of lids on all of the composting bins. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, many students rely upon the compostable takeout boxes supplied in the Market Place, and may not know where to properly dispose of them.
“The composting bins are covered right now as a way for us to say ‘Hey, we aren’t quite ready to fully start compost collection right now,’ but that we still want students, staff, and visitors to be aware of those collection sites,” Held said.
“Dining Services highly recommends that students use the conveyor belt, normally used for returning dishes, as a site for their compostable dishware. Whether it be the clamshell containers, coffee cups from one of the cafes on campus, anything. Please put it on the conveyor for collection,” Ochtrup-Dekeyrel said.
In regards to overcoming challenges and making campus-wide composting a success, students play a huge role in the process.
“Students don’t always realize just how important they are in making Gustavus a sustainable campus,” Ochtrup Dekeyrel said.
“Student responsibility and behavior is a huge factor in composting, and the way students act at the collection sites can heavily impact composting down the road,” Held said.
“Contamination and items being disposed of incorrectly is a huge setback, and leads to recycling and composting having to be compromised,” Ochtrup-Dekeyrel said.
Students and staff are encouraged to ask questions and think critically when they are unsure how to sort their recycling and composting in order to get the most out of composting.
“Don’t be afraid to go the extra mile. Think about how your food and packaging waste can be reused. Practice collecting your own personal compost in your dorm and bring it to a collection site. Pay attention to your consumption of plastics and other nonrenewable resources, and try to cut down whenever possible. And don’t be afraid to utilize the compost collection bins, even when they look full,” Held said.
“Squish those bins,” Junior Sustainability Intern Aviva Meyerhoff said.
Although an important aspect, composting is more than sustainability initiatives and diverting waste from landfills.
“College is a time to care about your peers, your planet, and making a positive impact in your environment,” Meyerhoff said.
“There seems to be a stigma around caring for others at times, which is something we hope to see change in our world. We want the people of Gustavus to learn more about their consumption habits and reducing their waste, but ultimately we want everybody to realize that composting is about community,” Meyerhoff said.