Dining Services' composting program works to cut waste at Virginia Tech
Food scraps from the campus dining centers are used to make compost, which supplements the soil at the Dining Services Garden at Kentland Farm. Produce grown at the garden is served in the Virginia Tech dining centers.
BLACKSBURG, Va., April 12, 2011 – According to the Office of Energy and Sustainability Initiatives, nearly 5 pounds of trash a day is accumulated per campus resident at Virginia Tech. Since 2009, Virginia Tech Dining Services has been trying to lower this statistic by collecting food waste from the dining centers and composting it, rather than sending it to a landfill.
In April 2008, a food waste study was conducted in D2, a campus dining facility, measuring post-consumer food waste left on plates and trays. When the trays were removed from the dining center, D2 was able to decrease food waste by 30 percent over the course of a week, equal to more than 1,000 pounds of food. By July 1, 2008, D2 and Shultz dining centers removed dining trays permanently.
Virginia Tech generates a significant amount of food scrap from producing and serving tens of thousands of meals each day, totaling more than 6.1 million meals per year. Composting this waste prevents it from sitting in a landfill and producing methane, which is damaging to the atmosphere.
Dining Services’ composting program began in January 2009 when the first load of compost was picked up from Southgate Food Processing Center, which generates about 2.5 tons of waste per week. In fall 2009, composting programs were established at Personal Touch Catering and Owens Food Court, saving 7 tons of waste in their first month. In 2010, D2 began composting and saved 13 tons of waste in its first month. The efforts of these facilities helped divert more than 300 tons of waste from being sent to a landfill in 2010.
Dining Services’ Sustainability Coordinator Elena Dulys-Nusbaum said she believes the composting program is so successful because of the hard work of everyone at Dining Services. “When looking at how much dining is composting compared to two years ago, one may think that we’re wasting more — but we have increased our diversion rate, meaning that we’ve kept more organic food waste out of the landfill than ever before,” she said. “At the same time, we are working to reduce waste at our venues, using waste tracking. We’re reducing our waste by producing the right amount, and recycling what we can’t save by turning it into fertile soil for use by local food producers, including our Dining Services garden through a locally owned business.”
Virginia Tech Dining Services is working to be a leader in sustainability, and composting provides the university with the opportunity to be more sustainable. Every day, space is being saved in local landfills because of the facilities provided on campus, preventing greenhouse emissions and supporting sustainable agriculture by creating healthy soil amendments for the Dining Services Garden at Kentland Farm.
Students can also get involved in sustainability efforts, especially during the RecycleMania program. RecycleMania aims to increase the Virginia Tech community’s awareness of waste management and recycling programs while increasing recycling participation. In 2010, the university increased total recyclables by 6.6 percent and reduced trash by 4.7 percent.
For more detailed information about RecycleMania and more ways to get involved with sustainability efforts, visit the Office of Energy and Sustainability website.
The Division of Student Affairs at Virginia Tech encompasses departments dedicated to providing a rich co-curricular experience and essential student services. Virtually every aspect of a student's life outside the classroom is represented through the division's departments.
Written by Stephanie Paradiso of Rockville, Md., a senior majoring in communication in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences.
- Rachel Cathleen DeLauder
- Managing Editor
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