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Campus Wide Compost Bins Proposal

Shane Vastano

Max McLeod

John Gargiulo

Stockton University

SUST2100

Professor Tait Chirenje

October 14, 2022

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Table of Contents

Introduction to the problem…………………………………………………… 3

Proposal Summary……………………………………………………………. 4

Justification……………………………………………………………………. 6

Project narrative ………………………………………………………………. 7

References …………………………………………………………………….. 9
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Problem

Waste management at American universities has become a serious problem throughout

the years due to densely populated classrooms, dining halls, and living quarters. On average,

college students produce around 640 pounds of trash every year, mostly accumulating during

move-out at the end of the year. (Planet Aid). A sizable amount of this “trash” is organic waste

that is actually biodegradable. When compost isn’t disposed of properly, it creates greenhouse

gasses while degrading that are released into the atmosphere hurting the environment. (Dayton).

Compost that is thrown in the normal trash ends up in a landfill, taking up valuable space that

could be used for non-recyclable/reusable items. According to the Waste Business Journal, we

only have about 11-16 years of landfill capacity left.(Napa recycling). Not only are overfilled

landfills expensive to maintain, but they damage the environment substantially. When

composting items are thrown into the garbage they instantly become invaluable and have to be

replaced. This means that we need to come up with more resources to create that product again

instead of reusing the original product to make more products, which will eventually lead to the

depletion of all of our natural resources. A great solution to the composting epidemic would be

to make compost bins more accessible so even lazy people can help to save our environment one

piece of trash at a time.

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Proposal Summary

Proposal Initiative: Campus Wide Compost Bins Proposal

Problem Statement/statement of need: Waste management at American universities has

become a serious problem throughout the years due to densely populated classrooms, dining

halls, and living quarters. On average, college students produce around 640 pounds of trash

every year, mostly accumulating during move-out at the end of the year. (Planet Aid). A sizable

amount of this “trash” is organic waste that is actually biodegradable. When compost isn’t

disposed of properly, it creates greenhouse gasses while degrading that are released into the

atmosphere hurting the environment. (Dayton). Compost that is thrown in the normal trash ends

up in a landfill, taking up valuable space that could be used for non-recyclable/reusable items.

Goals: To provide a great solution to the composting epidemic on the Stockton University

Campus to make compost bins more accessible

Measurable objective: Food waste accounts for a large amount of waste produced by

humans every day. If we worked to combat this, there are potential positive outcomes and

incentives that would come with the task. By adding composting bins in conjunction with the

already existent trash and recycling bins, we can work to provide a new fertilizing source for our
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campus farm. If the food waste from the N-wing dining option on campus alone was put to good

use and composted, Stockton would have a reliable source of fertilizer for the farm, and

potentially even the grass lawns that cover so much of the campus grounds.

Plan of Action:The proposed change will be the addition of new waste bins that now

include a composting compartment.

Impact on Problem: The investment requires very little upkeep, and is largely “set and

forget”. The overall food waste count would decrease across the campus, which would lead to a

smaller footprint being produced by the campus. As the campus is in the Pinelands and has a

body of water on campus grounds, it is very important that the footprint of the school be as

minimal as possible. While this is the environmental incentive behind the project, there are also

economic advantages
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Justification

Food waste accounts for a large amount of waste produced by humans every day. If we

worked to combat this, there are potential positive outcomes and incentives that would come

with the task. By adding composting bins in conjunction with the already existent trash and

recycling bins, we can work to provide a new fertilizing source for our campus farm. If the food

waste from the N-wing dining option on campus alone was put to good use and composted,

Stockton would have a reliable source of fertilizer for the farm, and potentially even the grass

lawns that cover so much of the campus grounds. Not all of N-wing’s leftover food is

composted, however, and a lot of it just ends up in waste bins and dumpsters. If composting bins

were added in conjunction to the trash and recycling bins in strategic places around campus, the

rate of food waste being placed into straight waste bins would decrease dramatically. This means

a new source of compost for the campus garden and grass fields, as well as less waste being

produced and dumped into landfills.

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Project Narrative

Goals:

The goals of this project are to reduce the overall food waste that the school produces.

While the main goal of the project is reducing waste, a secondary goal is to provide a steady

source of compost for on campus projects such as growing food on the farm or fertilizing the

grass fields.

Proposed Changes:

The proposed change will be the addition of new waste bins that now include a

composting compartment. The changes can be completed in the short span of two weeks. The

overall cost would depend on how many units the school would purchase. The units that would

prove to be most cost effective is a unit by Busch Systems that costs $527.00 a piece. If the

school chose to start with ten units, the cost would be $5270.00. These units would be spread

around strategic areas of the campus to take advantage of chokepoints where students and faculty

carrying food waste travel frequently, such as the campus center and areas around parking lots.

The farm at Stockton has expanded to 1.5 acres of farmed land (Stockton University). On

average, 435 pounds of fertilizer are needed per acre of farmed land (Waltz). When the math is

done, it is determined that the school farm would use 652.5 pounds of fertilizer. The collected

and composted food waste could be used to cut costs of fertilizer the farm uses as it expands

further and further.

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The success of this project would be measured in two main ways. The first would be the

weight of the compost produced after a certain period of time, say three months. This would be a

good indicator of how much compost will be produced in a set period of time. The bins would

produce less in the summer months when there is less foot traffic on campus, so those numbers

would have to be reviewed accordingly. The next measurement that can be taken is analysis of

the overall cost of fertilizing the farm. We would expect the cost of the fertilizer purchased to

decrease, whether it be considerable or not is the question. After analyzing the amount of money

that has been saved, it can be determined how long it would take for the school to break even on

the investment. The bins require little to no maintenance, as the only real maintenance needed

would be periodic removal of the compost and a cleaning of the liner within the bin, so there

would be very little upkeep cost for the bins to operate.

The potential outcomes of this proposal are worth the investment. The investment

requires very little upkeep, and is largely “set and forget”. The overall food waste count would

decrease across the campus, which would lead to a smaller footprint being produced by the

campus. As the campus is in the Pinelands and has a body of water on campus grounds, it is

very important that the footprint of the school be as minimal as possible. While this is the

environmental incentive behind the project, there are also economic advantages that cannot be

ignored. Money would be saved on fertilizer for the campus farm that has only expanded since

its founding. The compost produced by the bins would decrease the amount of fertilizer that

needs to be purchased, which would take a financial burden away from the school and make the

farm more efficient.

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References

Busch Systems Outdoor Octo Container - Compost, 32 Gallon - Graystone/Green - 104441.

(2016). Www.globalindustrial.com.

https://www.globalindustrial.com/p/outdoor-octo-container-compost-32-gallon-graystone

-104441?infoParam.campaignId=T9F&gclid=CjwKCAjwkaSaBhA4EiwALBgQaBtlX55

dKqmqBMCweiin23CoCqFodKFRYjmiLj7EZXWemdSn9k4piRoCJjsQAvD_BwE

Curbing the College Waste Problem - Planet Aid, Inc. (2015, May 11). Www.planetaid.org.

https://www.planetaid.org/blog/curbing-the-college-waste-problem

Dayton, M. (2022, July 22). 5 Methods of Proper Waste Disposal | DoItYourself.com.

Www.doityourself.com.

https://www.doityourself.com/stry/5-methods-of-waste-disposal#:~:text=Organic%20was

te%20is%20material%20that%20is%20biodegradable%20and

Stockton University Farm - School of Natural Sciences & Mathematics | Stockton University.

(n.d.). Stockton.edu. Retrieved October 13, 2022, from

https://stockton.edu/sciences-math/sustainability/farm.html

The Compounding Effects of Not Recycling. (2020, April 26). Napa Recycling and Waste

Services. https://naparecycling.com/the-compounding-effects-of-not-recycling/

Waltz, C. (2013, September 24). Fertilizer Calculations for Attractive, Healthy Lawns – Center

for Urban Agriculture. Ugaurbanag.com.

https://ugaurbanag.com/lawn-fertilizer-calculations/