Compost & Recycling

Our students love the three R’s: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. In other words, they minimize waste on campus in every way they can… whether they’re policing our compost bins and picking out napkins and meat, or they’re in the recycling room sorting paper.

Our Composting Program

We have a composting partnership with our friends down the road at MOFGA (The Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association) http://www.mofga.org/ . MOFGA is the oldest and largest state organic association in the United States. Their mission as an organization fits nicely with our own ideals, because they help people grow organic food, while protecting the environment, recycling natural resources, increasing local food production, and supporting rural communities. They believe in promoting an inextricable connection between taking care of the environment and growing healthy food.

How does our program work?

First, our students collect our compostable food waste from in bins in the cafeteria and the dining area in our Activities building. In order to make sure the food matter is properly sorted to keep out meat, napkins, and corn plastic, work-study students and volunteers stand by the bins. They serve as educators as well, informing the campus body and visitors about how to properly compost.

Next, a team of students load the bins once a day into our recycling van. Then, they haul it three miles to MOFGA’s headquarters, where it is processed in wind-rows.

The finished compost is used by MOFGA farmers, as well as the non-profit, Veggies for All, which grows organic produce for low-income families. Next year, we plan to use some of the compost right here in our own community garden on campus, which will complete a full cycle food system since most of the food we grow in the garden is used by our cafeteria. The compost partnership is a great example of community partners maximizing their utility by working together. Unity College has compostable food waste to spare and hard-working students to haul it. MOFGA has a facility for processing compost and can give the compost piles the care and attention they need.

Why do we believe it’s important to compost?

Composting food waste diverts a lot of waste that would otherwise go to a landfill. Not only does diverting it from a landfill save on greenhouse gas emissions from transportation, but it also allows the waste to be made into something useful—compost that is turned and properly cared for becomes really good nutrient matter for helping to grow healthy crops. MOFGA, Unity College, and the non-profit Veggies for All all get some of the finished compost to use for growing organic crops.

Our Recycling Program

We have a comprehensive recycling program on campus to recycle all plastic bottles, cans, glass, paper, cardboard, CFL light bulbs, ink cartridges, and batteries. There are recycling receptacles all over campus… in the central buildings, in offices, and in dorms.

Recycling material is picked up and sorted by our CRAP crew, a dedicated group of work-study students and volunteers. They spend hours pawing through paper and separating it into high grade and low grade.

Every year we compete in the national Recyclemania competition

Recyclemania is a nationwide recycling competition between colleges and universities who have recycling programs. Our students love the competition because it gives them an opportunity to motivate the campus with facts and figures about our national ranking.

We send out weekly updates to inspire the campus about our progress in each of the categories: paper, cardboard and bottles, cans, & glass.

In 2009, we recycled a total of 6,526 pounds of material for the 10 weeks of the competition.

Are you interested in how you can recycle at home?

Our very own non-profit on campus, The Center for Environmental Education http://www.ceeonline.org/greenGuide/rwmanagement/take/RecyclingTakeIntro.aspx ), offers tips for recycling and educational materials so you can teach yourself the different bottle and paper types.