Alec Ritter '20 and Clara Gallagher '20 pose with buckets for the composting program at Geneseo. (SUNY Geneseo/Keith Walters '11)
Geneseo’s student-led composting program finished the academic year with nearly 7,000 pounds of collected food scraps, paper towels, and other material — as much as the combined weight of two mid-size cars.
The program started last fall and is run by interns in the Office of Sustainability, who pick up the green bins from residence, academic, and other buildings on campus. The program has expanded to nearly all buildings, including the student townhouses.
Compost is full circle. The Department of Facilities Services composts the waste, which is used in campus landscaping, in the Roemer Arboretum and the eGarden to grow herbs and other plants. Those plants are used by Campus Auxiliary Services for meals in dining facilities and The Big Tree restaurant.
“The composting program began as a small group of like-minded individuals,” said Clara Gallagher ’20, a sustainability intern and communication major. “It has grown to become a campus-wide community with a common goal. The growth has proven that sustainability is extremely important to Geneseo and that student voices matter.”
The composting program continues this summer, with Friday morning pick-ups. Those who wish to obtain a bucket can email compost@geneseo.edu.