Commercial Composting

A campus waste audit conducted by students estimated that half of Evergreen's landfill waste is compostable. Compostable waste at Evergreen consists of food scraps and compostable products provided by Dining Services.  Compostable products can be hard to identify, especially since they are designed to look like the plastic products we are accustomed to using.  Take a look at the dining services web page to learn which products are compostable in the Greenery, Market, and Sem II Cafe.

Silver Springs Compost, also called the Food Plus Recycling Program, is a service organized by Thurston County Solid Waste, collects compostable items such as food scraps, paper, cardboard and various other materials made from natural components. Silver Springs Compost allows the campus community to directly benefit from the recent increase in compostable products available in The Market. All cold cups, coffee cups, plates, knives, spoons, forks, bowls and napkins are made from compostable ingredients and should be put into the Silver Springs Compost bins.  A few items in the Market that cannot be composted, including plastic bags, candy wrappers and bottle lids; all other items can be recycled in the recycling center in designated bins located in the Market area.  The green bins in the CAB building that are designated for Silver Springs Compost Collection.

Silver Springs Organics collects and processes the compostable waste. The facility is a locally owned cattle ranch that has recently expanded to become a commercial compost facility. A group of students, faculty and staff interested in the process used at Silver Springs Organics went on a tour of the facility in the fall of 2008 and published a report to share their findings with the Evergreen community. To read the report - download the PDF here.

 
Acceptable Items: 
 
All Food: Fruits, vegetables, meat, poultry, seafood, shellfish, bones, rice, beans, pasta, bakery items, cheese and eggshells, deli and salad bar foods
Food Soiled Papers: Waxed cardboard, pizza boxes, frozen food cartons, napkins, paper towels, paper plates, paper milk/juice cartons, paper cups, tea bags and coffee grounds/filters 
Plants: Floral trimmings, tree trimmings, leaves, grass, brush, weeds and wooden crates

Non-Acceptable Items:
Liquids, grease, oils, plastic or styrofoam, glass, metal, treated/painted wood, coffee cup lids, fruit stickers, straws, foil/plastic juice pouches, cellophane or foil.

Download Commercial Compost Sign (pdf)

Watch this informative video about composting on upper campus

More information available at www.co.thurston.wa.us/wwm