Composting Comeback for Spring 2021

Freshly made eggs and a perfectly sliced banana are ready to be devoured for breakfast, yet in the corner of the kitchen lays egg shells and a banana peel ready to be disposed of in the trash. The egg shells and banana peel then rest on the counter for 10 minutes before being taken out with plastic water bottles and week-old zucchini. The time spent on the counter before being taken to the trash is nothing compared to the time the waste will spend in its future home — a local landfill. 

Contrary to what people might think, natural materials like egg shells and banana peels do not decompose properly in a landfill. 

Natural earth products (like food waste) decompose in an aerobic process where air is present to help waste break down quickly and properly. The Campus Sustainability Advisory committee (CSAC) at Marist College has projections to install sites on the college’s campus to facilitate this type of process for the spring 2021 semester. 

The new composting site, approved by Marist Physical Plant Director, Justin Butwell, will be located on the north end of campus, near the Lower Hoop parking lot. It will be maintained by the grounds supervisor, Brian Cooms.  

There has been multiple attempts in past years to implement a system for the Marist community to compost their waste. However, Kim Bodendorf, associate director of the Physical Plant, said that there was a “lack of participation,” and the new efforts to create a greener campus community and carry through with the project are “much better than years past.”

Cooms will be maintaining the physical compositing site, making sure the process is safe and materials are breaking down quickly and effectively. Between now and the beginning of the spring 2021 semester, compost bins will be brought to residential spaces. 

Bodendorf said that these news bins will be put in individual houses or dorms where residents can dispose of their natural earth waste, including food products. These bins will then be emptied into larger, local pins for the various residential complexes on campus. Finally, the local bin will be brought to the main compositing site in Lower Hoop. “It’s essentially a three step process,” Bodendorf said. 

Seven undergraduate students will participate in this environmentally mindful project supported by the CSAC and other faculty. All involved who strongly believe this will be a positive and successful change to the Marist community. 

Natural compost. Source Gary Meulemans from Unsplash.