Composting at UC Berkeley
An article by the Compost Alliance
What is composting?
Composting comes in many shapes and sizes across the nation and the world. Some people compost using a backyard vermiculture (worms!) compost bin. Some municipalities, such as the City of Berkeley, collect compostable materials (such as egg cartons, paper towels, and food scraps) in green bins in a similar way to trash and recycling and send it to processing sites where it is turned into nutrient rich composting. Some people have installed composting toilets in their homes. Even the Earth degrades and recycles nutrients through natural processes that involve detrivores (worms, fungi, bacteria, and insects) that break down decaying matter and return nutrients to the soil. No matter how this process of organic material recycling happens, it is a crucial step in the cycling of nutrients- without it there would be no life on earth.
At UC Berkeley, the buildings on campus that compost (including Cal Dining facilities and a handful of progressive buildings) collect paper towels, food scraps, and food-soiled paper in green bins. Custodial services collects this compostable material from restrooms, dining halls, kitchenettes, and restaurants and brings it to a larger green bin usually located in the buildings loading dock. Then, an outside vendor, contracted by Campus Recycling and Refuse Services (CRRS) and the building/restaurant, collects the compost in a dump truck similar to those that pick up trash or paper recycling across campus. Instead of heading to landfill or a recycling site, the material ends up in the Central Valley where it is turned into nutrient rich compost for farmers to use in their fields. The system our vendor uses is called vermiculture- just like your backyard bin with worms only bigger. There are also bacteria-based systems.
When farmers receive the compost, they use it on their fields as an alternative to fertilizer. We buy our organic and conventional produce from many of these farmers so compost provides the essential link to help “close the loop” on our nutrient cycle.
Why is it important?
The reasons to compost are almost endless- each one crucial to reducing our carbon footprint, “closing the loop” on our systems, reigning in landfill creation, and reducing our reliance on oil.
First, as we mentioned above, composting our food scraps allows us to return nutrients to the soil. This is important because it helps conserve soil and stops it from losing fertility and allows us to “close the loop” on an otherwise linear system.
Second, when farmers apply compost to the soil, they avoid using synthetic fertilizers which are often made from oil (expensive, polluting, and politically contested) and have harmful chemicals which are bad for the long-term health of the soil and waterways. Have you heard of dead zones, large areas of low-oxygen water caused by excess nutrients?
Third, the creation of fertilizers, in addition to being largely composed of oil, is very energy-intensive. That increases our carbon footprint. Using compost as a substitute can reduce our carbon footprint.
Fourth, composting allows us to reduce the need for new landfills. Instead of sending our paper towels, food scraps, food soiled paper, coffee cups, and compostable to-go containers to landfill, we’re able to divert that waste. That means our current landfills will last longer, and we’ll have less need to create new ones in the future.
Sound like reason enough? We think so at the UC Berkeley Compost Alliance, which is why we’re striving to make sure all the campus’ compostable material is collected and returned to the very farms that grow our food.
Myths
In addition to the financial constraints on campus, a number of nasty myths on campus about composting have kept it from being implemented more broadly. Read all about ‘em here, and next time you hear them you can tell people the truth and help our cause.
Compost collection in campus buildings will smell!
False – compost collection sites will be almost exclusively in restrooms (for paper towels), kitchenettes, and restaurants (for food scraps, coffee cups, compostable food packaging, and other food-soiled paper). Custodians clean these areas daily and the compost will be collected, just as the trash is, every day. In reality, the compost collection at Cal will be not much different from our landfill collection than having a green bin and bag. Today you throw your apple core in a black trash bag, tomorrow it’s a green bag, but it won’t smell anymore than it did today.
Compost will NOT be processed on-site – only collected.
Compost collection in campus buildings will attract pests!
False – again, just as the trash is collected daily in common areas, compost will be collected daily meaning there is no more chance for compost to attract pests than trash – it’s just a different colored bag!
Compost in campus buildings will be thrown in the trash – custodians throw our recycling there already!
False – The Compost Alliance, Campus Recycling and Refuse Services, and Physical Plant and Campus Services, is piloting a project to ask one custodian to pick up recycling and composting in our first few project buildings to ensure that all recycling and composting makes it to the right spot. Additionally, building occupants must ensure that they recycle and compost correctly – any bottles and cans or food in the paper recycling contaminate THE ENTIRE BIN and custodians are required to throw all that recyclable material in the trash. Let’s make sure everyone recycles and composts correctly.
I’m convinced – how can I help?
The most important thing that we as students can do is to compost (and recycle) our materials correctly and encourage others to do so.
What materials can go in the compost?
- Any and all food scraps (including bones)
- Paper towels and paper napkins (without nasty chemicals please!)
- Paper coffee cups (if it’s not plastic or Styrofoam, it’s compostable!)
- Compostable food packaging and cutlery (it will say “compostable” or “biodegradable” on the box – Cal Dining provides almost exclusively compostable packaging)
- Tea bags (biodegradable, no staples) and coffee filters
What materials can go in paper recycling?
- CLEAN (not food-soiled or wet) paper including newspaper, envelopes, printer paper – even books!
- CLEAN cardboard
What materials can go in the bottle & can recycling?
**Bottle and can recycling is different than paper recycling – and unfortunately harder to find. Often you can find bottle & can recycling outside or in specially-marked bins inside (sometimes orange). Paper recycling bins are usually blue and found across campus – be sure not to get them confused!**
- Aluminum bottles and cans
- Glass bottles & cans
- Plastic bottles #1 & 2
What is the Compost Alliance?
Founded in fall 2010, the Compost Alliance is a student group dedicated to implementing a campus-wide compost system at UC Berkeley. Currently, the major obstacle to establishing a campus-wide system is financial – the cost of pickup, bags, and extra custodial time place major roadblocks in the way of implementing this system across Berkeley. The Compost Alliance is currently in the first phase of system rollout: “Achieving Critical Mass.” The aim of this phase is to establish compost systems in enough buildings to justify collection of compostable waste by in-house services. This will reduce the cost and allow other buildings to enter. In addition, we expect that with a campus-wide contract, the price of compostable bags will drop, and that the re-working of some aspects of custodial services provides the opportunity to reconsider how recycling and compost could be picked up.
The Compost Alliance is housed under Campus Recycling and Refuse Services (CRRS) and is funded by a StopWaste grant from the Alameda County Waste Management Authroity, The Green Initiative Fund at UC Berkeley, and The Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on Sustainability.
To find out more about the Compost Alliance, including how to volunteer or to apply to be a paid coordinator, please contact compostalliance@gmail.com
Links
Compost Alliance (coming soon!)- recycle.berkeley.edu/compost
Campus Recycling and Refuse Services (CRRS)
UC Berkeley Office of Sustainability - sustainability.berkeley.edu
Learn about recycling and composting for when you move out of the dorms on the Ecology Center website
Alameda Waste Management Authority - stopwaste.org
ReUse - reuse.berkeley.edu
