New Food-Waste Only Receptacles Aim to Boost University's Composting Program
Students can play important roles in the university’s burgeoning composting program by simply placing their food waste into specially colored and marked receptacles in strategic locations around Cal Poly Pomona.
The new green-topped receptacles are labeled with stickers signifying that only food waste can be deposited into the containers. The food-waste only receptacles will be placed alongside containers for landfill waste (tan tops) and recyclables (blue tops).
Food containers and wrappers will need to be discarded into the appropriate landfill or recyclable receptacle. The successful implementation of the program will hinge on altering long-held behaviors.
“Changing the way students think about food waste, recycling and trash is going to be the biggest challenge,” said Monika Kamboures, the university’s sustainability coordinator. “Instead of throwing away the leftover meal and container into one trash bin, students will need to throw away the leftover food first into the specific waste receptacle then place the container or wrapper into the recycling bin.”
The food-waste only receptacles will be placed near the Campus Center, Bronco Student Center, Bronco Commons, University Library, and the College of Business Administration. After this initial phase, the next step is to place food-waste only receptacles inside student housing and dining locations.
The Collins College of Hospitality Management has a composting program in which food waste and scraps from meal preparation are collected and hauled away by the campus-contracted waste disposal company. The Centerpointe dining facility also participates in a composting program.
The food-waste only receptacles are mandated after the passage of Senate Bill 1383 in 2021, which requires all schools, businesses, residents, and multifamily properties, to separate organic materials (such as plant debris, food waste, food soiled papers, untreated wood waste) and recyclable materials from trash. The law also mandates that the organic waste be disposed of by a collection service or hauled to an appropriate facility for diversion.
The goals of SB 1383 are to reduce organic waste disposal by 75 percent and rescue 20 percent of surplus edible food for those in need by 2025. The law affects single-family homes, condominiums and townhouses; multi-family properties with five or more units; commercial businesses; and public and private schools.