Avoid the landfill at all costs.
That’s the motto of the George Washington University Zero Waste team of Andres Harris and Kris Ferguson, who joined GW in 2013 to help the university meet its zero-waste goals.
Their newest effort is a composting program at J Street, the student-dining hub at the Marvin Center. The “back of house” program ensures that any vegetable, meat or other scraps from food prep in the kitchens are composted rather than tossed in the trash.
“We wanted to start with back of house because it is easier to control,” said Mr. Harris, the assistant director of zero waste. “There is a learning curve, but we were able to train the kitchen staff, and we visit spontaneously to check for contamination.”
Five months in, the program is a proven success. Four tons, or 8,000 pounds, of food waste per month are diverted from landfill.
The composting process requires a balance of nitrogen-rich material and carbonaceous material, also known as “the green stuff and the brown stuff,” to create nutrient rich humus, Mr. Harris said.
The food waste is gathered in a 15-cubic-yard compactor, transported to Maryland Environmental Services in Prince George’s County, sorted and sold as fertilizer or other products, said Mr. Ferguson, the GW recycling coordinator.
“The facility rejects the load if there is too much contamination from plastics or other materials,” Mr. Harris added. At the end of the six-month composting process, the facility screens the hummus for any plastic material or other contamination.
“Education on this topic is key, and we are refining the system to make it as easy as possible for students to participate,” Mr. Harris said. “We are working to help the community understand the benefits and their change behaviors, so we can move toward composting in other areas of campus.”
J Street composting is among a host of efforts that the duo has introduced and managed in just over a year and a half. Other waste-diverting initiatives include single-stream recycling, a revamped e-cycling program and a student-run food waste diversion program at Hensley Hall on the Mount Vernon Campus.
The initiatives have reaped benefits for the university, such as eliminating waste and lowering costs associated with managing it. For example, under the new e-cycling program—which recycles computer monitors, printers, batteries and other electronics—the university is able to bring in revenue rather than taking a loss.
“We are recycling about a ton of e-waste per week,” Mr. Ferguson said. “We were able to eliminate expenses and find a vendor in Falls Church to recycle our e-waste securely.”
The Mount Vernon Campus also has played a major role in waste diversion. A food-waste diversion program has been in place at Pelham Commons dining hall since 2013. Senior Sophia Lin and sophomore Frank Fritz joined forces to expand this program to Hensley Hall on the Mount Vernon Campus in March.
The Washington ComPost team: senior Sophia Lin and sophomore Frank Fritz.
The student-run program, “The Washington ComPost,” is funded by a Student Association grant and a Clinton Global Initiative University commitment maker grant from the GWupstart program.
“We have about 40 residents participating in the pilot,” Ms. Lin said. “They each have a small compost bin and then dump it in a larger 32-gallon toter in the trash room. We are able to go through and check for contamination on a weekly basis.”
Ms. Lin said that students were educated at a “zero-waste” party where all of the food and items were compostable. She said the commitment of the largely freshman population has proven that educating students early and creating a sustainable culture helps change behavior for the better.
“It’s exciting to see the students take part in helping the university meet its sustainability goals,” Mr. Fritz said. “We hope to expand the program to more residence halls.”
For students who’d like to get involved in GW’s waste diversion efforts, Green Move Out is May 1-18. Extended stay in the residence halls is offered to volunteers who commit to completing a minimum of three shifts. At least one volunteer shift must take place on or after May 13.
The sign up sheet is available online.
The program collects electronics, clothing, non-perishable food and other items that remain in the residence halls at the end of the semester. They are donated to Community Recycling, Turning the Page, Capital Area Food Bank and Washington Animal Rescue League.