Campus Composting is in Style

Here at Rensselaer, we are no stranger to food waste. On a campus comprised of over 5,000 students and 14 different dining locations, there is always going to be an unfortunate amount of food waste produced. Our latest efforts to mitigate the damage caused by food waste involves repurposing it a.k.a composting! Students dining in our largest retail location, the Rensselaer Union have the opportunity to compost their leftover food instead of ditching it in the garbage can. Students can find clearly labeled compost bins in the McNeil Room of the Rensselaer Union as well as posters detailing what can and can't be composted.

For those of you unfamiliar with this term, composting is the act of repurposing food by means of decomposition into soil (called compost). The idea behind this is that organic matter, basically, anything that was once living, will eventually decompose. Hence, you can compost anything that was once living or that was derived from living things, such as fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy, meat, poultry, and fish. You can even compost coffee ground, tea bags, and napkins! Each day the contents of the compost bin are collected and set to decompose at a separate location in Troy for a period of time. The soil (compost) that is produced by the decomposed food is then used in a local Troy garden to grow delicious, fresh fruits and vegetables.

Besides all the food waste that is being diminished at Rensselaer, we also focus largely on recycling. Right next to our compost bins in the McNeil of the Rensselaer Union are recycling bins with posters detailing what can and can't be recycled. All of our plastic to-go containers can be placed in the recycling bins and well as all of the plastic and glass beverage bottles. Student's can also dispose of their used paper, magazines, and newspapers in the recycling bins. 

Theoretically, between composting and recycling, very few things should end up in the garbage cans at the end of the day. However, it is in your hands to make sure you are disposing of your waste properly! It is never too late to take a step towards becoming a more sustainable campus community.