Composting and recycling are major parts of HFS's commitment to environmental sustainability, but they can only succeed with student participation. Unfortunately, many students are justifiably confused about these programs, so we've written a brief guide. Please ask us about any other questions you have!

• What is composting, anyway?
• Why should I compost? Won't the waste decompose in the landfills?
• How do I know what to compost? And what to recycle, too?
• What happens if non-compostable items are put in the compost bin?
• Is HFS's compost program costing me money?
• Where can I compost?
• Where can I learn more?
• References

And for an entertaining intro, check out this video (which SEED did not make):

Think of composting as recycling taken to the next level. Food scraps, yard clippings, and other materials that break down easily are separated from the rest of the trash and kept in a pile outdoors. After this waste decomposes for a few weeks or so, all that remains is a heap of nutrient-rich soil known as compost. (Informally, the original scraps put into the pile are sometimes also called compost.)

People who want to compost have traditionally had to do it themselves. Today, however, Seattle-area residents and businesses can have their food and yard waste collected by the local company Cedar Grove. HFS uses Cedar Grove's services.

Actually, the conditions in landfills are such that organic (biodegradable) material frequently doesn't decompose. As part of the "Garbage Project," archaeologists from the University of Arizona analyzed waste from deep within various landfills. They found that the percentage of organic material in the ten- to fifteen-year-old layer was as high as 66.5% in one landfill, and they have unearthed items such as "[w]hole hot dogs" estimated at "an age upwards of several decades."1

And even when material does decompose in landfills, it creates a new problem: methane. When organic material is in the presence of oxygen, it breaks down "aerobically." But inside landfills, this oxygen is often used up, at which point the process switches to "anaerobic" decomposition and produces methane.2 Methane is a greenhouse gas 20 or 25 times stronger than notorious carbon dioxide,3,4 and according to the U.S. EPA, "landfills are the second largest source of human-related methane emissions in the United States."5 Encouraged by the EPA,6 some people now capture methane from landfills to use for energy. But in the rest of our landfills, methane remains a real problem. Composting will also release methane if done anaerobically; however, Cedar Grove carefully monitors their process to make sure there is enough oxygen for aerobic decomposition throughout the entire compost pile.7

Finally, the rich soil that composting produces is a valuable commodity. Farmers, gardeners, landscapers, and ecologists use it for many purposes: supplying nutrients to plants, protecting them from disease and pests, and much more.8,9,10 Composting ensures that organic matter is put to good use instead of going to waste in a landfill.

Your best bet is to check the above poster (click on it for a PDF). It can be found in the dining facilities and the trash/recycling rooms in the residence halls. Also try asking any employee at the place where you're eating.

According to the U.S. EPA, food scraps, wood, paper/cardboard, and yard clippings are all compostable.11 So in the dorms, you can compost any kind of food waste (including meat and dairy), wooden items, and paper or cardboard without a plastic coating. (Think paper napkins, pizza boxes, etc.) Paper and cardboard with that slick, shiny look and feel, including most milk cartons, are usually coated with plastic and cannot be composted. Some items are coated with biodegradable wax, but these are the exception.

In the dining facilities, nearly all tableware is compostable (see images at left). A number of these items look like plastic but are actually made of corn or potato starch. How can you tell the difference? If you look closely, the non-plastic ones should say "compostable, "biodegradable," "Greenware," "NatureWorks PLA," or "Nature's PLAstic" somewhere on them. The brown silverware and straws don't say anything, but they are compostable. In the past, soft-drink lids were trash, but the UW is pioneering a just-developed compostable lid this year! Soup and hot-drink lids are still trash, but compostable versions will be released in January 2010.

As for recycling, the rules vary greatly from place to place. A big myth is that if an item has one of those little triangles with a number inside, then it is recyclable. This is NOT true. The number merely indicates what kind of plastic the product contains.13 (A few non-plastic items, including the compostable tableware on campus, also have a number.) Some municipalities collect only specific numbers for recycling, while other institutions, including HFS, ignore numbers entirely and go by the shape of the product.

Cedar Grove allows us to have a small amount of contamination (non-compostable material) in the compost "toters," but they will not accept toters that have more than 3% contamination. The photos below show contaminants recently pulled out of compost bins. (Click on them for larger versions)

Trash...

...more trash...

... and yet more trash!

Recylables (except the bottle lid goes in the trash)

These are reusable!

Actually, HFS is saving money by composting! It costs the department less to have food waste collected than regular trash.

If you are eating in any of the dining facilities or coffee stands run by HFS, just look around for a compost bin. The bins are usually labeled, but if not, there are a few good rules of thumb to know. If it's blue, it's almost definitely recycling. (Think of the blue recycling bin in your dorm room). If it has a green-colored bag, like the compost toter in the photo to the left, it's almost definitely compost. These green "biobags" look like plastic, but they're actually biodegradable. (Composting is a "green" thing to do.) If it has a black bag, it's almost definitely trash. (Think of the classic black trash bag.)

If you are in your dorm room, you can take your food waste to the closest compost bin. Terry, Lander, and Haggett have compost toters on every floor as part of a pilot program, McCarty has one outside Ian's Domain, McMahon has them in the 8, and Stevens Court has one by the dumpsters. Mercer and Hansee don't have bins yet, but you can take your compost to one of the dining locations next time you're there. Try reusing a compostable tray from the dining facilities to hold your food scraps, or if you want something airtight, a free container like an old coffee can works great.

If you are around campus, there's a good chance you're just steps away from a dining facility or coffee stand with a compost bin. The HUB, Mary Gates, Suzzallo, and Odegaard (By George) are just a few of your choices. It's a good idea to know where these eateries are in advance.

The information here is not intended to be a comprehensive manual on composting, but to summarize what the typical UW resident should know. There are a few good resources online, such as the EPA's and Seattle Public Utilities' pages on composting. Those sites are especially valuable if you are interested in starting your own backyard compost system. Also, if you have any more questions, either about waste or any other environmental topic, don’t hesitate to e-mail SEED. We’d also love to hear from you if you would be interested in taking a tour of Cedar Grove’s facilities.