Compost will soon be a reality for Ohio University
By Hannah Groah, Campus Life Senior Writer
May 15, 2007 | 6 a.m.
Although Ohio University has been preparing for a compost system since the opening of the new Baker Center, a recently received grant will allow OU to begin composting by next year.
With the aid of Sonia Marcus, coordinator of the Office of Resource Conservation, OU received a grant worth $250,000 from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) and will have to match that amount. The money has been earmarked for the purchase of an in-vessel composting system that will possibly be located on Dairy Lane by the Ridges.
An in-vessel composting system is a high-tech piece of machinery that will sit on a 60-by-60 foot mat and process up to 3 tons of waste a day. The machine will be able to turn student waste into valuable compost in just 2 weeks thanks to the compact in-vessel system.
Why even bother with composting? Ed Newman, manager of Recycling and Refuse at OU said the university is looking at “how to deal with minimizing the waste [OU] generates,” and composting can be one of the most effective ways to reduce waste.
In addition, the in-vessel composting system will cut costs for OU; always a top priority. A majority of the money that is saved will come from reduced tipping fees. A tipping fee is how much a customer pays to actually tip trash into a dump. Any recyclables, reusables or compost waste that can be reduced from the trash going to the dump also reduces the price.
The in-vessel system is “the first full-scale composting project at an Ohio college or university,” according to the OU Web site. However, the in-vessel system is not the only unique feature about OU’s approach to energy conservation.
“My position was the first position of its kind created at a public university in this state,” Marcus said about her role last year as coordinator of the Office of Resource Conservation. Marcus works with one graduate student to oversee and implement new resource conservation policies. Marcus also works closely with the recycling department, which focuses more on the technical aspects of resource conservation.
The grant from ODNR is one of the last steps in what Marcus calls a “multi-stage process.” The process began in January 2007 with the opening of the new Baker Center, and more importantly, the new food court inside Baker Center. The food court features compostable service-ware and marked bins for compost.
“One of the first things we had to establish was whether or not people were even capable of understanding the concept of composting and separating the waste accordingly,” Marcus said, explaining the sometimes confusing waste management bins in the Baker food court. “If people can’t separate their waste we don’t have compost. Period,” Marcus said.
Students are the most important part of the composting puzzle, but Marcus said that reactions to the composting method have been overwhelmingly positive. However, there have been obstacles. Marcus said that one of the main problems has been the food waste bins.
“The [trash bins] originally ordered for Baker food court were wrong,” she said, “the main problem being that the openings on the bins are not specified for the things we throw away.” This problem becomes frustrating for students and janitors who remove the marked tops on the bins, making trash sorting even more complicated. But not for long.
“There will be a better waste area,” Marcus said. New bins have been ordered and are expected to make their debut in the Baker food court before the actual composting begins.
Newman said that many universities around the country are now trying to focus on sustainability, and while OU is not “as far along as they should be” the university is still making great strides to lessen the “environmental footprint” left by students.
Marcus said that seeing waste as something not to be just tossed away is a revolutionary idea, but really it’s as simple as looking before you throw out your containers. There's nothing revolutionary about that.