One student’s trash is another’s research focus

Juliana Kiyan Senior Editor

All Campus Dining Center (ACDC) patrons were bound to notice an unusual sight from Feb. 5-7 as apron-clad students called attention to such routine items as paper cups and non-recyclable yogurt containers by digging these scraps of trash out from under piles of food and sorting them into various containers.

Campus Dining, the Sustainability Committee, the Vassar Greens, and Greenway Environmental Services (Vassar’s compost producers) joined forces to conduct a waste study. Shabazz Jackson of Greenway Environmental Services explained the motivation behind the study, saying, “Waste audits pinpoint the recycling rate and show the areas where recoverable materials are being wasted.”

Sustainability Committee Chair and Associate Professor of Geology Jeff Walker said, “We are always looking to improve Vassar’s waste systems and reduce waste.”

The waste analysts sampled the amount of waste sorted into groups: compostable food waste/napkins, recyclables (mixed paper, cans, glass, number 1 and 2 plastics), “potential recoverables” (anything that could be replaced with reusable, recyclable or compostable versions, i.e. to-go items, plastic utensils, paper plates and cups), and non-recoverable trash (mostly non-recyclable yogurt containers and teenyplastic containers). They also measured kitchen waste, which necessitated hands-on opening of trash bags and strong stomachs.

By the end of the study, the group had processed 3,247 individual meals and found that each person created on average 3.5 oz. of waste per day at ACDC, most of which was compostable food and napkins. The vast majority of trash (90 percent by weight) was potentially recoverable with waxed paper cups comprising the largest constituent. Currently all trash is sent to a burn plant ten minutes away. The group estimated that by adding post-consumer student-end food waste composting to our existing system, the amount of recycled/composted materials would increase to 71 percent.

Some student participants cited the lack of availability, different sizes, and cleanliness of the reusable cups as reasons why they have avoided using them in the past. These opinions prompted the study’s organizers to pursue improving reusable cup availability and investigating alternative cup designs. Students need not worry about reusable cups being dirty. Study organizers emphasized that each cup is sterilized in an industrial strength dishwasher reaching 190 degrees Fahrenheit. These high temperatures kill troublesome bacteria and are actually the reason for the residual condensation covering the cups.

The results of the study also revealed that to-go items are frequently used inside ACDC although they are not intended for use in the dining hall. Discouraging the use of these items, along with looking into alternatives, are priorities for campus sustainability. Director of Campus Dining Maureen King said, “We are looking for ways to reduce the use of disposables and ask the cooperation of those who eat in the Dining Hall to use the reusable cups and china when they are eating in the building.”

Kitchen preparation food scraps are composted at the Vassar farm. The program could be expanded to include food waste generated after meals. This process would be similar to the study: Students sort out trash or recyclables and compostables are collected off the trays in the dish room.

The organizers of the study are now brainstorming ways to apply what they have learned in this study to concrete changes, but campus-wide cooperation and feedback are essential to the process. For more information or suggestions about the study, e-mail sustainability@vassar.edu.