The week before spring break, the Office of Sustainability conducted a survey of the student body to gauge interest for a new compost program that would introduce composting to the College apartment areas. Of the 170 students surveyed, 75 percent committed to compost in the apartment areas and approximately 24 percent committed to compost if compost bins are made easily accessible, according to Izzy Rico ’23, Senior Sustainability Intern and VSA Sustainability Executive.
In an email, they wrote, “Currently, we are in the process of analyzing our survey results and conducting waste audits to determine if it is fiscally responsible to have Greenway expand their pickup on campus to all apartment areas. The plan as of now is to implement the expansion during the summer on a smaller scale and have it in full swing by the fall semester.”
At the moment, Greenway, Vassar’s compost provider, composts both food prep waste and plate waste from Gordon Commons. As outlined by Resident District Manager Stephen Scardina in a written correspondence, “In the Back of House [BOH] in Gordon Commons the staff does compost product that they are working with; i.e. carrot tops/tips, cauliflower leaves, etc.” Additionally, in the Front of House [FOH], students separate personal food waste into either compost, recycling or landfill bins. “The staff assigned in the FOH of Gordon Commons follows the same procedures as does the BOH staff,” he further explained.
Greenway once composted waste from Express and Retreat, too, but high levels of contamination ceased production—evidence of a critical composting issue. “Education plays a key role in improving our waste diversion rates,” Rico emphasized. To combat this obstacle, the Office of Sustainability has proposed a first-year orientation program targeted specifically towards educating incoming students on correct composting. Rico also added, “Another way we are working on reducing waste is through SWAPR (Stop Waste and Promote Reuse), the annual event held by the Office of Sustainability to provide students with a place to get rid of items they don’t want without throwing them away at the end of the semester.”
The College is significantly responsible for much of the air and water pollution in Poughkeepsie, as campus waste is incinerated at the Dutchess County Resource Recovery Center. “Most of our landfill waste is made up of heavy compostable materials, like food scraps, which require 5,000 BTUs of natural gas per pound to incinerate,” Rico explained. Separating compostable waste from general trash, therefore, reduces the amount of fuel used for incineration, consequently lessening the effects of pollution, as well as feeding nutrients to soil. Echoing Rico’s point, Dean Inoa wrote in an email correspondence, “My hope is that the initiative creates a culture of sustainability, inspire[s] advocacy for sustainable practices, and potentially reduce[s] costs associated with waste disposal and fertilizers.”
Student organizations SEED and Greens have pushed for larger composting programs at Vassar for several years. Rico credited the previous Director of Sustainability, Cora Kenfield, as well as Greenway’s Josephine Pagani and Vassar’s Head of Grounds Dean Jaeger, in drafting the new program. General attitude surrounding the program is optimistic. Dean Inoa concluded, “Overall, composting is a critical aspect of achieving a more sustainable future, and this initiative is a great way to promote sustainable practices on campus and in the community.”
Additional reporting by Jacques Abou-Rizk.