Office of Energy and Sustainability

Campus Compost Program

The Office of Energy and Sustainability began a new post-consumer composting program in February 2023. Each semester, additional buildings are added to the program with the goal of composting access in each space on campus! The campus compost program diverts materials from the landfill and helps the college reach the goal of carbon neutral by 2025. 

What is compostable?

Compostable items include all food scraps, including meat and dairy, as well as food-contaminated paper products. Certified compostable products from many AVI facitlies are also compostable. Look for items with the green stripe and the BPI label! Compostable items collected from campus are taken to the Barnes Compost Facility in Huron, Ohio. Please click below for a more detailed look at all compostable items on campus.

  • All food waste, including meat, dairy, bones, and baked goods
  • Food-contaminated paper products, such as dirty pizza boxes
  • Paper clamshells from the Rat
  • Coffee and soup cups from DeCafe with the green stripe
  • Other paper products, including napkins, tissues, and tea sachets
  • Any product with the Biodegradable Products Institute label

  • Plastic
  • Metals
  • Clothes or Fabric
  • Glass
  • Liquids

Where can I find a compost bin on campus?

Compost bins can be found in a growing number of buildings on campus.

  • Asia
  • Bailey
  • Barnard
  • Barrows
  • Burton
  • Dascomb
  • East
  • Fairchild
  • Harvey
  • Kade
  • Kahn
  • Lord
  • Noah
  • North
  • Saunders
  • Talcott
  • Zechiel

  • Adam Joseph Lewis Center (AJLC)
  • Lewis House
  • Student Health
  • Wilder (room 208) - Center for Intercultural Engagement offices

  • Heritage Kosher Kitchen
  • Sky Bar
  • Stevenson Dining Hall

How does compost differ from garbage?

Composting refers to the combination of organic wastes like food and yard trimmings- along withs bulking agents like wood chips that accelerate decomposition- to create a soil-like substance. Finished compost can be added to soil to improve its plant-growing properties. Composting helps reduce the amount of food that is wasted and sent to landfills. Food waste emits significantly less methane into the atmosphere when it is composted instead of thrown away, which also helps the college’s carbon neutrality goals.