Introducing the Community to Compostable Disposables

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Introducing the Community to Compostable
Disposables
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A Modest Proposal

• A Sodexho manager asks Why dont we compost
  disposables?
• Ithaca College operates a compost facility,
  Sodexho can get compostable service ware
• Lets give it a try and see what happens

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The Challenges

• Compost Facility capacity issues and product
  compost ability
• The price of compostable service ware up to five
  times that of single use petro-based products.
• Collection system had to be developed and
  contamination controlled
• COMMUNITY EDUCATION!

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The Products

• Exhaustive research of products available that
  will actually compost
• Paper products the best option
• Knives, forks and spoons costly
• How much volume can be added to our already
  limited capacity
• Additional volume and the effect
• Choose to do big events or do a small portion
  every day

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Choosing compostable
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Educating for Success

• We knew we had to do more than put out bins and
  post signs
• Face-to-face, person-to-person communication had
  to be central to the introduction of the program
• Picnic was perfect starting point

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Community Picnic
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The Audience

• The 1560 First Year Students on their first day.
• A new experience and open minds
• Faculty, Staff and Student Staff
• Informed during trainings, orientation sessions
  and Intercom messaging
• They helped by modeling behavior

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The Venue

• An outdoor picnic with all compostable service
  ware
• No where to throw it out except the centrally
  located waste stations
• All other outdoor trash bins were removed from
  the area.

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The Collection Process
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The result
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What we learned

• People will do what you ask of them if
• You make it simple
• You tell them how
• You constantly remind them
• Expect 10 to do the opposite

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Moving Forward

• All compostable disposables in our food court
• Large signs at existing waste stations
• Student staff trash copping providing
  direction and information during peak hours
• Insuring that 95 of material served on was
  compostable or recyclable
• Redesigning the collection center

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What you will see today
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A New Generation

• After four years of compostable Community Picnic,
  we did compostable Commencement Receptions.
• Served finger sandwiches, chips, cookies and
  punch at seven locations on campus to 10,000
  people
• No staffed bins, little contamination

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Compost Culture at Ithaca

• The members of the College community expect, and
  can identify, compostable disposables on campus,
  and off.
• The Ithaca community has followed our lead at
  large events, festivals and the Farmers Market
• We set the example

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The future
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Park Center for Business and Sustainable
Enterprise

• Compost collection at centralized stations on
  each of three floors
• Coffee kiosk located in building
• LEED points for compost collection
• Community insures success

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Future challenge

• The campus community is starting to demand
  compost collection at each building
• This will create another collection stream and
  all the expense associated with it
• Cant wait for single stream recycling!

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Summary of Success

• We knew our audience, and human nature
• We designed the system for success
• We reinforced the message in various media
• Person-to-person is the most effective
• You can do it too!