Pre- and Post- Consumer Composting

Pre- and Post- Consumer
Composting
What is Compost?
•
Definition:
a mixture of decaying
organic matter used
to improve soil
structure while
providing nutrients
Pre- vs. Post- Consumer Composting
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Pre-Consumer Composting
compostable paper
o food waste:
 plant refuse
 uneaten food parts
o
Source: Earth Machine
Pre- vs. Post- Consumer Composting
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Post-Consumer Composting
o
o
scraps: uneaten foods
used napkins, plates
What happens if we don’t compost?
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Biodegradable food gets trapped under
piles of trash in landfills
Without oxygen and water, natural
decomposers cannot survive to degrade
materials
o biodegradable food releases methane gas instead
Source: SF Environment
How to Compost
Source: Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Center
Composting Trend
Source: Google books: Ngram Viewer
UC System Policy
Sustainable Practices - Waste Management
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Diverting solid waste from landfills
o
o
Goals:
 2008: 50% diversion
 2012: 75% diversion
 2020: Zero waste
2012 report: All campuses met 50% diversion; only
Davis, Irvine, and LA have met 75% diversion goal
UC System Policy cont.
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In order to meet goals, primary methods
being used:
Reduce
o Reuse
o Compost
o Recycle
o
STARS Program
Sustainability, Tracking, Assessment, Rating System
Universities gather & report data publicly to the
program
•
o
Scored in various categories
 Operations, Education/Research, Planning,
Innovation, Supplemental
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Pre&Post-consumer composting, waste diversion, etc. are
big parts of the Operations category
STARS Program Rankings
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51 total institutions ranked gold
o
UC Davis is GOLD
 Obtained full points for pre and post-consumer
food waste composting, scored well in other
waste management strategies
 Scored well in many categories, but with all the
institutions, there is room for improvement
UC Davis Composting
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2001 - ASUCD launched pre-consumer composting
in dining hall kitchens
o 22,000+ pounds of organic matter per month
2007 - Tercero started post-consumer composting,
spread to all dining halls in 2008
2007 - Aggie Stadium launched as zero waste
center
o Concessions sold in compostable/recyclable material
UC Davis Composting
Today
•
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Pre-consumer food waste collected by Project
Compost → UCD Student Farm
Pre and post-consumer waste collected by
Dining Services → sent to Zamora Composting
Facility
o
Dining Halls, Catering Services, Gunrock Pub, Aggie
Stadium
UC Davis Post-Consumer Composting
UC Davis Post-Consumer Composting
Other UC Campus Strategies
100% Biodegradable to-go containers
UCB, UCI
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Campus compost collecting
UCSB, UCR, UCSD,
UCSC
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Grounds to Grounds
UCSB, UCR
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Weigh Your Waste
UCI, UCD, UCSC
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UCM
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Reusable food containers that can be recycled
28 tons of UCM garbage turned to compost in 2012
Re-usable go containers with dispensing machines
o pay a deposit which is refunded when containers are returned
Other Local Strategies Used
Hospitals
● UCDMC & UCSFMC: 2011 implemented compostable serveware & put in
garbage bins specifically for compostable waste in their cafeterias.
● CHOMP: Invested in an onsite state-of-the-art
dehydration machine to use on food waste so
they could bypass having to send out their
compost to an outside vendor
Sodexo
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Pre-Consumer waste strategy: LeanPath
used to track the amount of food waste
within colleges and universities with the
goal of raising awareness and increasing
efficiency to ultimately decrease waste
Sysco
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Participating suppliers are asked to report the amount of vegetative
waste they reuse through composting or using it as animal feed. In 2011
participants reported reusing 7 million tons of resources had been
reused.
City of Davis Commercial Food Scrap Pilot Program
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Allows restaurants and facilities to set aside their compostable goods for
pickup by Davis Waste Removal twice per week
o Sutter Davis Hospital
o Blue Oak Energy
o South Davis Nugget Market
o Caffé Italia
o Davis Joint Unified School
o Ciocolat
District Student Nutrition
o Davis Farmers Market
Services
o Davis Food Co-op
o Natural Food Works
o Dos Coyotes (both locations)
o Delta of Venus
o Hallmark Inn
o Osteria Fasulo
o Mustard Seed
o Village Bakery
o Seasons
o Village Pizza & Grill
Pros
● Reduce waste disposal fees
● Reduces need for landfill space
● Closes food waste loop by
returning it to agriculture
● Ends waste of recyclable raw
ingredients
● Recycles nutrients back into
the soil
Pros
● Reduces need for chemical
products that may pollute water
● Can sell compost products to
local farmers
● Market establishment:
○ environmentally conscious
○ one that assists local farmers
and the community
Cons
● Initial setup costs
● Finding or establishing
compost location
● Transportation costs to
compost facility (e.g
Zamora 30 mi away from
UCD)
● Educating staff and
Cons
● Smell of composting
● May attract flies and
pests if not actively
managed or protected
● Time to compost
(can take up to a year)
Discussion Questions
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How can we better inform food service sites to implement composting
strategies?
How can food service sites implement new strategies of pre-consumer
composting effectively and/or efficiently?
Post-consumer composting?
What are ways we can help reduce the cons of composting in food
facilities?