Composting

What is composting?

Composting is a process during which organic materials, such as carrot peels, onion skins or even that leftover pizza from Pizza Days, decompose into a rich soil. This soil is referred to as compost.

Many people have labeled composting as our earth’s oldest recycling system. This is because when these organic materials (such as carrot peels or onion skins) are allowed to decompose in a natural setting, the nutrients go into the soil and allow it to support the growth of new organic materials. By composting, we enrich the soil causing the food being grown to yield more, as well as to have a higher resistance to pests and disease. In a sense, composting is relying on nature to do what it has been doing for thousands of years instead of relying on temporary man-made solutions that often tend to lead to more problems down the road.

Why compost?

Current statistics have organic materials (as in, food waste and yard waste) at approximately 30% of the waste stream. If everyone composted their kitchen and yard trimmings instead of throwing them in the trash, 30% less waste would end up in landfills, waterways and water treatment facilities. By doing so, we are not only saving landfill space  and accelerating the decomposition process, we are also cutting the generation of the greenhouse gas called methane.

Do we compost at Tufts?

We currently have a composting program at Tufts in which we compost both food and yard waste, thanks to the cooperation and coordination of Tufts Dining Services, Tufts Facilities Department, Save that Stuff, Inc. and Herb’s Disposal.

In order to achieve our goal of zero waste at Tufts, it is crucial that we continue our composting program. Click here to learn more about composting at Tufts.