The UCSB Compost Pilot Project (CPP) is a pioneering initiative to incorporate composting into the campus recycling infrastructure in hopes of fostering a complete food-to-food cycle. The CPP was formed through a grant to The Green Initiative Fund to change waste bin labeling and incorporate compost into campus infrastructure. The pilot of the project includes 6 test bins for composting around campus, audits of the compost collected, and intensive student outreach to educate the campus about switching to compost.
Over this past winter quarter, volunteers from the CPP, the Program for the Assessment and Certification for the Environment and Sustainability (PACES), and the Environmental Affairs Board collected and sorted 800 pounds of compost from the 6 locations. Thanks to the guidance of Mo Lovegreen and Katie Maynard from Geography, as well as A.S. Recycling, volunteers were able to accurately determine that only 8.32% of the 800 pounds of compost was non-compostable.
The CPP Coalition, a core of student volunteers that guided the progress of the CPP, randomly surveyed 1,994 UCSB students in May and determined that 86% of students would be willing to pay price increases on candy, chips, meals, and beverages to fund the shift to compostable/biodegradable food packaging and utensils in the University Center (UCen) operated eateries instead of the current plastic and Styrofoam packaging. This survey demonstrated strong support for the expansion of composting at UCSB and prompted UCen dining to go forward with the shift to compostable dining ware. In the upcoming academic year, Coral Tree Café, Courtyard Café, the UCen, and the Arbor will all also have solar powered compacting compost receptacles, thanks to a recently approved TGIF grant submitted by Philip Jankoski, founder of the CPP Coalition. “What we’re doing is fostering a food-to-food cycle,” said Jankoski. “So your food waste is composted and becomes nutrients for a new growing cycle and eventually for new food.”
