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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN WWW.KANSAN.COM News WEDNESDAY, JULY 2, 2008
》 ENVIRONMENT
Compost site could reduce waste in landfills
MANDY EARLES
mearles@kansan.com
Stephanie Mott has proposed a composting site for the University to help reduce the amount of food waste in landfills.
Mott, 2008 graduate, met with a subcommittee of the project Tuesday to discuss potential locations for the composting site.
Peg Livingood, project manager for the University Design and Construction Management, said she
thought students would benefit from the composting site because it would allow students to decrease their collective effect on the environment.
"As a major research and educational institution, KU has an opportunity to provide leadership and education for the citizens of the state in matters of sustainability," Livingood said.
Tim Evans, KU alumni and author of a previous composting idea at the University, said he thought composting would benefit more than just the
people involved.
"This project would provide a great opportunity to show students, faculty, staff and the community that we have resources around us that go untapped," Evans said. "What was once a waste is now a valuable resource."
Mott, a researcher for the KU Center for Sustainability, said that once a location was determined, the next step would be funding the project. Mott said they would need to research where funding was available
and whether they could get grants or on-campus funding.
Mott said the committee looked at the possibility of having the site near one of the KU dining services, which would provide the food scraps, but most dining services didn't have enough room.
"We now plan to evaluate places on West campus," Mott said.
Mott said she had researched all possibilities for the University. She said she looked at costs, physical space of the site and what other universities had done. She said she found Green Mountain Technologies had the best in-vessel system for the University called Earth Tub.
Mott said the project would probably only require two Earth Tubs in the beginning. She said she figured the project would start out small and they would add more tubs later.
Penny Bernard, the business manager of Green Mountain Technologies, said Earth Tub would decrease the amount of time it took to compost as opposed to using regular bins.
"Earth Tub cost the right amount and had an optimal size for KU." Mott said. "It also has an air filter, which reduces the smell."
Bernard said it would be easier for the University to implement a composting project because the University has more people available to help install and run the composting site.
Mott said the project would need students for collecting the food and placing the soil, but that the Earth Tub only required one person to operate. Mott said the positions would most likely be paid.
Mott said that she hoped KU would soon approve the project,but
DIY compost site
Here are a few steps recommended by Stephanie Mott on how to start your own composting site.
- Mix food scraps (nitrogen source) with wood chips, sawdust or dead leaves (carbon source) into a pile or a bin.
- Moisture is added from the food or you can add water to accelerate the process of decomposing.
- Air is required because it is an aerobic process, meaning the organisms in the pile need air to survive.
- The temperature should be warm to hot, which indicates the speed of the decomposition process.
- Unless you need soil fast, a compost pile in your backyard will be ready in a month or two.
- For bigger projects and faster results, using a product like Earth Tub can take only three to four weeks.
"Composting is a very effective way to improve KU's soil," Mott said. "We may even increase campus pride, knowing we are all actively contributing to a more sustainable and beautiful campus."
in the meantime, she would continue to remind KU about all the advantages composting offered.
—Edited by Asher Fusco
KANSAN.COM
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