This semester our office has been all about compost, from our Eco-Ambassador projects to the focus of our behind-the-scenes operations. That work has paid off! We've succeeded in doubling the amount of compost compared to the fall of 2022, and we're just getting started with the expansion. 16 new bins were set up this semester and there are more to come! With the expansion of compost, it's critical that our campus community understands what can and cannot go into our compost bins.

So what exactly can go into those compost bins? To keep it super simple, all food scraps on campus can go into compost bins (yes, even meat and dairy!). If you can eat it, it can be composted! When in doubt--throw it out! When items that are trash or recycling end up in the compost bin, it prevents us from composting that bin.  That ends up costing time and money to fix! If you're not sure, it's much better to err on the side of putting something in the trash.  

One of the ways we can check how composting is going is by doing a waste audit. The basic process involves weighing and sorting out the material placed in a compost bin.  That way we can see how much of the material is compost vs. contamination. We've been lucky to have a graduate student working for our office who has helped develop our standard auditing methods. He's in the process of performing the first round of audits and we'll use that information to improve the system. We can learn about common contaminants (which can tell us which items people are confused about), and get a sense of what is currently going into the compost waste stream. We'll be able to compare data over time to see how we can improve. Those changes might include updated signage, education campaigns, or operational changes behind the scenes. 

As we continue to conduct compost audits, we've noticed a couple of items in our compost bins that should be placed in another bin. So far, we've seen lots of aluminum cans and plastic bottles ending up in our compost. These items are recyclable and should go into recycling bins rather than compost. While recycling and composting are both processes that divert waste and turn it into something useful (soil amendments from composting, and new materials from recycling), these types of waste need to go to different facilities to be processed. 

If you want to learn more about composting on campus or have questions, please feel free to reach out to our office at any time! We can be reached at sustainability@umbc.edu. We're happy to present at your student organization meetings, clubs, staff meetings, or classes to talk in-depth about composting and other sustainability topics.