Where did the Library compost bins go?

New composting and recycling bins were introduced to the University Library during the spring 2018 semester as part of Long Beach State’s “Waste Not” program. The program was implemented by the Office of Sustainability and was spurred by the university’s goal of achieving zero waste by 2030.

 

Thanks to the new program, more recyclable materials are now being diverted from the waste stream, however, unanticipated circumstances have made it impossible to ensure that food waste and soiled paper deposited into the compost bins is being composted. To avoid giving the misleading impression that these materials were being successfully composted, the Office of Sustainability and the campus’ Zero Waste Working Group decided to remove the compost bins until further notice. I sat down with Sustainability Coordinator Holli Fajack to discuss the reasoning behind the removal of the compost bins.

 

 

Last semester, the University Library became the first building to implement a new three-stream zero waste program. This semester, the compost bins were removed from the Library. Why?

 

When we designed our zero waste program, our vision was to install recycling, compost, and trash bins throughout the entire campus so that everything that can be recycled or composted would be put to beneficial use instead of going into a landfill. Unfortunately, after we installed the three-stream bins in a few locations, including the Library, we learned that the facility that we were sending our compostable materials to was only able to process food scraps and was actually pulling out the food-soiled paper plates, cups, napkins, etc. and sending those to the landfill. That’s a big deal because the vast majority of our compost waste stream is made up of those types of paper items.

 

We searched extensively to find another facility in the SoCal area that would accept and properly process our compostable materials (including paper) but, so far, we have been unable to find one that meets our needs. So, we came to the conclusion that it would be better to remove the compost bins until an appropriate facility becomes available.

 

It was a disappointing revelation and difficult decision to modify our vision for the program but at the end of the day we decided it was more important to be honest with the campus community and not lead people to believe the materials they put in the compost bin were being diverted from the landfill when we knew the truth.

 

 

There have been compost bins in the University Student Union for a few years. How was ASI able to implement a composting program?

 

Both ASI and The 49er Shops, which runs campus dining operations, implemented composting programs several years ago. They did this by working with a waste hauling company that also operates a composting facility that processes both food scraps and food-soiled paper. The university had hoped to be able to work with that same company to expand the composting program campus-wide. However, that company has declined to partner with the university and it has also determined that it can no longer support ASI or The 49er Shops’ programs either, which has severely limited our options.   

 

 

Will composting continue anywhere on campus?

 

Yes! Although we have decided to hit the pause button on our post-consumer composting program, we are still committed to continuing and improving current efforts to capture and divert food waste in residential dining halls and kitchens, campus restaurant food preparation areas, and at the Isabel Patterson Child Development Center. We have been working closely with The 49er Shops and ASI to make sure that kitchen and restaurant staff have the training and bins they need to collect food scraps for composting. So, even though most people on campus won’t see it, we want everyone to know that composting is still happening behind the scenes!

 

 

What are some of the biggest obstacles with finding an appropriate composting facility?

 

The state of California recently passed legislation requiring all large generators of organic waste to implement programs for diverting that material from landfills. This is part of the state’s overall commitment to addressing climate change by tackling the biggest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, including the emissions generated by landfills.

 

The university is subject to this requirement, which was one of the driving forces behind the development of our Waste Not program. However, in order for us and others to comply with this mandate, the waste management industry needs to catch up by building facilities that are able to process organic material (i.e. food and food soiled-paper). Getting a facility funded, permitted, and built takes a lot of time and effort and, unfortunately, there isn’t much we as the customer can do to move this along. We are hoping that in the next couple of years, the industry will bring new facilities online to meet the growing need.  

 

 

Once an appropriate composting facility is found, will compost bins be installed throughout campus? Where will they be located?

 

Yes, we fully intend to roll out the compost program campus-wide as soon as we are able to do so. When that happens, our two-stream program will turn into a three-stream program and we will add compost bins inside building hallways, office suites and break rooms, and areas where food is served and consumed.

 

How will removing the compost bins impact the campus’s Zero Waste program, “Waste Not”?

It is definitely a bit of a setback, but we remain optimistic that the current situation will only be temporary. In the meantime, we are committed to moving forward with implementing the two-stream program across campus, which will still move the university forward by expanding the current recycling program dramatically. We will also be strengthening our communications, marketing and training efforts so that students, faculty, and staff will be more aware of the ways they can be a part of making CSULB a model zero waste campus.

 

 

Until the composting program is implemented, what are other ways the campus community can help reduce waste?

 

There are lots of ways! The zero waste philosophy is less about having the right waste bins and more about reducing the amount of resources we use in the first place so that we ultimately don’t have to try to figure out how to dispose of waste! That means taking steps to reduce the amount of stuff we consume that is designed to be used one time and then disposed of, like product packaging, paper coffee cups, plastic straws and utensils, paper napkins, and plastic bags, to name a few.

 

A few ways that everyone on campus can help reduce waste are:  

• Prepare meals at home and bring them to campus in reusable containers
• Just say no to disposables and instead invest in your own reusable water bottle, coffee mug, utensils, cloth napkin, metal or glass straw, and reusable lunch bag.
• Take digital notes, only print documents when absolutely necessary, print double-sided, or use scratch paper for notes and drafts'
• If given the option, use hand dryers instead of paper towels in the restrooms
• Share extra food with friends instead of throwing it away!