Calling all on-campus residents! The Residential Composting Program is now live and open for enrollment at no cost to participants.
Composting is a waste diversion method that repurposes food waste and turns it back into soil, rather than going to waste. When organic materials go to a landfill, they anaerobically decompose, emitting methane; a greenhouse gas 25x more potent than carbon dioxide. Turning organic waste into soil prevents carbon emissions and creates healthy compost for future healthy plants!
What started as the Riverwalk Composting Program is now available for ALL on-campus residents, including Ball Hall, North Hall, and University Tower – free of charge! To participate, read the guidelines and then submit the enrollment form located on the IUPUI Sustainability website. A bucket, compost bags, and educational materials will be delivered to your door or mailroom. Now, you’re ready to start collecting your compost and dropping them off weekly in the designated waste rooms!
Not only does compost divert waste, it also comes full circle here at IUPUI. After the organic waste is picked up, it is transported to a local commercial composting facility to be processed and turned into compost. Then that compost is purchased back to be used on campus.
If you are curious about how our campus organic waste is turned into compost – join us on a tour of GreenCycle! On Monday, September 12 from 1 – 2pm we will visit the commercial composting facility where our organic materials go and learn about the process that turns it into nutrient-rich compost. Register to attend – space is limited.
Those who don’t live on campus can also take advantage of composting services. Earth Mama Compost offers a 25% discount on compost hauling services for all IUPUI students, faculty, and staff who live in their service areas: Marion County, Zionsville, Greenwood, Whitestown, and Carmel. Simply sign up using your IUPUI email address and include a note about the discount in the comments section of the form. Green with Indy and RE317 also offer compost hauling services in the Indianapolis area.
So are you sold yet? What are you waiting for – go sign up!!
Happy composting!
This blog post was written by Aspen Grieshaber, Sustainable Waste Management Intern and a junior studying Sustainable Management and Policy. In 2021, Aspen led the launch of the Riverwalk Compost Program and has been critical to its expansion across all residence halls at IUPUI.
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