University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Residential Living Composting Program: Initial Results.

The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, student led Waste Management Society, Collage of Natural Resources, Residential Living, and Facility Services implemented a voluntary composting program for students in the residential halls that have been running for two years. The program aims to divert food waste from being landfilled and promote education, decrease campus tipping fees, and create an end product that can be used on-campus. The primary objective was to divert organic waste from the University’s resident halls. The organic waste is collected from the resident halls weighed on a scale and processed in an industrial augur. Organic waste is collected throughout the school year where two to three times a week the temperature is recorded and compost pile is watered. During the two to three month layover between academic years the compost pile is cured, sifted, and reapplied to campus grounds. Documented weights are collected, and correlated to waste audits of the residential halls to help quantify the percentage of organics collected. The results of the data allow for analysis of how efficient the program is along with the potential volumes still available.