Photo by: Rachel Roark

Composting joins recycling and the bike-sharing program as the latest DU initiative to foster sustainability.

DU’s food supplier, Sodexo, has established composting in Centennial Halls and Nelson Hall.

The composting program was spearheaded by students Stefanie Bednar and Tay Dunkle who met with Sodexo’s manager Nori Yamashita to find ways to decrease the university’s waste.

“I think that this is a great accomplishment on the part of DU students, faculty and staff. It is also an amazing step toward making DU a zero waste campus,” Bednar said.

“It used to be that we could put only a few things in the compost, such as fruit and vegetable scraps. Now we can put anything from meat to wood stirring sticks to napkins,” Yamashita said. “We now use biodegradable straws in the dining halls, so we can also put those into the compost.”

Even though cafeterias in only two dorms are in the program, Yamashita explained that Sodexo is studying how other dining areas on campus can join composting.

However, the new composting program does cost some extra money for Alpine Waste to come pick up the food materials. According to Yamashita, the composting program is costing the university about an extra $5,000 each year. But some students believe that it is worth it. 

“I think that if we are doing something that’s helping to preserve the environment it would not be a waste of the university’s resources,” said senior Grace Polleys.

Other students are not quite sure what to think.

“I feel that the environment’s condition is very important and as humans we should take care of it.  But I also feel that we shouldn’t put too much emphasis or too large amount of funding to support composting on campus which may or may not truly help the environment or only to a minute degree,”  said junior Stacey Putch.