Feasibility of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Residential Living Composting Program: Troubleshooting and Cost-Benefit Analysis.

The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point student-led Waste Management Society, College of Natural Resources, Residential Living, and Facility Services implemented a voluntary composting program for students in the residential halls that has been running for two years. The program aims to divert food waste from being landfilled and promote education, decrease campus landfill tipping fees, and create an end product that can be used on-campus. The primary objective of this research presentation is to assess the program to determine its feasibility considering troubleshooting, associated costs compared to landfill tipping fees, and pounds of organics diverted from landfilling.  To determine if the program is feasible, organics coming into the program were weighed, data was collected on cost of implementation and maintenance, figures were collected from tipping fees per pound, and a waste audit was performed to calculate the percentage and weight of organics not currently included in the program. Results of troubleshooting indicated that errors throughout the program have made it more efficient. Cost benefit analysis results will be presented at the conference.