When most Western students think of compost, a pile of decomposing fruit and vegetables is likely the first thing that comes to their minds,  however, a recent decision by Western’s University Dining Services may help change students’ ideas of what composting looks like.

Dining Services has decided to place bins which students can throw disposable service items in the Atrium and Viking Union Markets, said Ira Simon, director of University Dining Services. These compost bins, which look like normal garbage cans, will act as receptacles for compostable dining items such as paper plates and cups.

Dining Services will place the bins near the regular garbage cans in the Atrium and VU Markets, so students will be able to easily compost the waste from their meals, Simon said.

The decision to start composting stemmed from the positive feedback Dining Services received from students after offering a compost bin in the VU Market during Earth Week, Simon said.  Composting was one of the many ideas proposed during Earth Week, in addition to removing trays from the dining halls.    

Any paper-based item for serving food can be composted, he said.  The only items that cannot be composted are items made from plastic, such as the lids of cups, and paper products covered with a thin layer of wax, Simon said.

During Earth Week, Dining Services put bins out for student use that were marked with pictures of compostable items, Simon said.  The compost bins were placed near the recycle and garbage receptacles, he said.  Some garbage bins were removed in an effort to encourage students to compost as much of their food waste as possible, he said.  The composting idea popularized during Earth Week is now permanent, he said.

Composting took time to teach, but once students were acclimated to it Dining Services decided to keep it, Simon said.

Composting was implemented in the VU Market first to see if it would be well-received by students, Simon said.

All the markets and dining halls on campus already compost as much waste as possible, Simon said.  He said the VU Market and Atrium are unique because they house dining areas where students have the opportunity to compost their own garbage. 

Students using the dining areas are more likely to purchase food that comes in disposable containers, he said.  

Carol Dubois, director of retail for Dining Services, said it was her idea to install compost bins in the VU Market and Atrium permanently.  The compost bins will be placed in the Atrium by the end of spring quarter, she said.  
    
Similar to the set-up  of the VU Market, the Atrium’s new bin would go alongside the  current receptacle for glass, paper and garbage, she said.

Compost bins in the VU Market and Atrium would cost more only if students disposed of compostable material improperly, Dubois said.  The extra money would go to market employees who would have to separate compostable items from the regular trash, she said.

“I think it's just a matter of educating the customer that we have [the option to compost] because I think students have a lot of passion for it,” Dubois said.

Western senior Megan Walker, member of the Western group Students for Sustainable Food, said Dining Services is taking an important step in its efforts to increase the student focus on following environmentally friendly practices.  

The way the compost bins are marked could be made clearer, Walker said.  Students have to understand what materials can be composted so they might incorporate the practice outside of school, she said.

Seth Vidaña, coordinator of Western's Office of Sustainability, said he is pleased to see Dining Services giving students more of a chance to engage in environmentally friendly practices on campus.  He said it is important to educate students on what is compostable and what is not.

As part of Students for Sustainable Food, Walker said she is always trying to implement measures that will make the opportunity to compost more visible to students.  She said she would like to see compost bins placed in residence halls alongside the recycling bins.

Vidaña said Dining Services has brought up the idea of composting their waste before and is glad to see the idea being implemented.

“Finding more opportunities to compost has been a part of the conversation between the Office of Sustainability and Dining Services for the past two years,” Vidaña said.

Walker said she would like to see Western keep most of its compost on campus and continue to send it to a farm in Lynden. 

She said Western could use its own compost to fertilize the landscape on campus.

“Using Western's compost on the campus's landscaping will help to close the loop with regards to sustainability,” Walker said.

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