Implementing Compost Bins on Campus

 Hannah Nathe, Joey Felix, Cheyanna Trautman  

Our goal is to investigate the feasibility of implementing sustainable practices on campus. A simple way to do this would be to add compost bins near “high traffic” areas such as the cafeteria, Starbucks, and Chick-fil-A. Currently about 97% of compostable food waste resides in landfills. This is a problem because landfills are responsible for about 15% of all methane emissions. The introduction of these bins will raise awareness about amount of pollution and waste produced by Lander as a whole, but it would also save the university money associated with landfill fees. To estimate the cost of adding compost bins and an on-site compost pile to our campus, we identified the cost of materials we would need to build the compost pile. We also researched colleges that have already implemented a green waste program to determine how they have benefited as a result. This implementation of a fairly simple sustainable practice would be a small step that could greatly impact Lander’s campus. The success of this project could also inspire other students to strive toward increased environmental sustainability and change the way we think about green waste.        

• Hannah Nathe is a senior biology student here at Lander University. They are passionate about raising awareness about the state of our environment to inform others about how important it is to be sustainable.        

• Joey Felix is a biology major here at Lander University. After completing undergrad, they plan on furthering studies at either a veterinary or medical school.           

• Cheyanna Trautman is an Environmental Science major here at Lander with an emphasis in forensic science. After graduating, they would like to become a forensic scientist.