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Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics

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North Campus Composting Pilot Program Diverts 367 Pounds of Food From Landfills

Oct. 31, 2017

Sarah Grossman is an Environment, Economy, Development and Sustainability major with a passion for working to solve the food waste crisis. As a member of the SUSTAINS Learning Community, Grossman teamed up with her peers to formulate a plan for a compositing project that would take place in North Campus residence halls.

"We worked specifically with Dr. Roe from the Food Waste Collaborative. He helped us with our project not only by providing excellent suggestions and funding to get started, but also put us in contact with many other university departments that were necessary for the success of the project," Grossman said.

The North Campus Composting pilot project was able to divert 367 pounds of food from landfills, and projections indicated that if the project were to expand to all on-campus residence halls, the OSU Food Waste Collaborative could divert 13 tons of food over two semesters.

Grossman was also in attendance at the 2017 OSU Food Waste Conference where she presented a poster that showcased the results and successes of the composting pilot project. "It was extremely rewarding to hear from all the other voices on campus that are working so diligently on improving food waste issues," Grossman recalled.

Grossman agrees that Ohio State has the opportunity to be a leader in food waste initiatives.

"Environmental movements must start somewhere." Grossman said. "And I think that if Ohio State can accomplish successful food waste and composting programs, then we can lead by example and help solve food waste issues on a larger, national scale."

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