Mines is expanding campus composting. Why Compost? Composting is nature’s recycling and reduces the amount of waste going to landfills and landfill greenhouse gas emissions. Landfills are the 3rd largest source of methane greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. Source: EPA.

 Mines Sustainability contracts with several composting service providers that take our compost to commercial compost landfills. Commercial composting differs from backyard composting. Industrial composting has much higher temperatures and special machines that help to breakdown meat, dairy, and bones as well as compostable papers and plant-based plastics quickly.

WHAT CAN I COMPOST?

FOOD SCRAPS

• Fruits and vegetables
• Meat, fish, and bones
• Cheese and yogurt
• Pasta, beans, and rice
• Bread and cereal
• Nuts and shells
• Coffee grounds and tea

PAPER PRODUCTS

• Paper towels and napkins
• Coffee grounds and filters, tea bags
• Wooden popsicle sticks and chopsticks
• Compostable cups, plates, bowls, utensils. These items must say “Compostable” on them or have a BPI logo on it.

WHAT EVENTS USE COMPOSTING?

• E-Days
• Earth Day
• Summer BBQs
• International Day
• Lunar New Year Celebration
• Career Days food events
• Electrical Engineering Dept.
• Other department events

WHERE IS COMPOSTING ON CAMPUS?

• Student Center bathrooms (paper towels only at this time)
• Book & Brew coffee shop (coffee grounds and paper filters)
• Student Rec Center bathrooms (paper towels only)
• Mines Park Drop site at student greenhouse (food scraps, compostable paper products)
• Mines Market kitchen (food waste from kitchen, paper towels, etc.)

Note: some food organic composting is paused over the summer due to heat and less people on campus.

Compost Bins – Compost bins are green or will have a green bag with a compost sign on it or near it. Please DO NOT put compost in the blue recycle bins.

To learn more about campus recycling, visit Mines Recycling.