Campus-wide composting begins

In January 2018, compost bins were installed in Buntrock as part of a pilot composting program. That Spring, several waste audits were conducted by students to demonstrate that the existence of compost bins in Buntrock reduced the amount of waste going to the landfill. In the Spring of 2018, Environmental Coalition members Matthew Douglas May ‘19 and Kirsten Koerth ‘19 worked with Steve Rasmussen, the Assistant Director of Facilities to create a plan for campus-wide composting. This plan was proposed to Jan Hansen, the Chief Financial Officer. That Fall, Jan Hansen signed a waste management contract allowing the addition of 11 compost bins to accommodate composting in every residential hall. Composting across residential halls began in December 2018. In the Fall of 2020, composting was paused to minimize the custodial staff’s Covid-19 exposure. Campus-wide composting is expected to continue when it is deemed safe.