Cal State Long Beach students now have an additional way to make more environmentally friendly decisions on campus.
In honor of Earth Day, the University Student Union implemented a new composting system, called “Compost Happens,” throughout the USU food court areas Tuesday.
Associated Students Inc. Recycling Coordinator Lee Johnson said the collected compost will be made into soil amendment or fertilizer that will primarily be sold to large farms and orchards in Southern California.
Johnson said that ASI has placed 21 compost bins throughout the USU dining areas that are intended to be permanent. Johnson said, however, that ASI may add more bins in the future if it chooses to.
Each of the new black compost containers have an attached poster that provides instructions for what food items and paper goods are accepted in those bins. For example, students can compost fruits and leftover sandwiches, as well as paper cups and cardboard pizza boxes.The composting initiative was “first implemented in the fall semester with the back of the house operations and will now be rolled out widely throughout the USU with the educational campaign ‘Compost Happens’,” according to an ASI press release.
Johnson said “back of the house operations” refers to what takes place behind the counter before customers consume their food.
“[The ‘Back of the House’] refers to the food vendors within the USU for the pre-consumer food waste generated as they prepare the food,” Johnson said. “This would include food trimmings, coffee grounds, and lemon peels.”
Although the employees of the USU restaurants were trained in the fall, they did not actually start composting then, Johnson said. The composting program was not fully implemented until yesterday.
Johnson said that the title was inspired from the phrase ‘S–t happens.’
“On farms, one of the common things composted is animal manure,” Johnson said. “Sometime in the late 70s or early 80s people promoting composting came up with the ‘Compost Happens’ phrase as a way of promoting composting in what is intended to be a humorous link between the phrases.”
The idea for composting began with CSULB’s Sustain U Committee, which according to the ASI website, aims to “the ideals of sustainability into all facets ASI operated facilities, programs and the CSULB campus.”
“This is a student and staff ad hoc committee formed several years ago to improve sustainability efforts within the USU and ASI,” Johnson said.
Sustain U was also responsible for a variety of sustainable programs implemented in the USU. Johnson said they were responsible for an improved recycling system in the USU with multicolored containers, the USU’s hydration stations, and the hands-free faucets in the USU restrooms.
The committee also makes recommendations to the ASI Senate and the USU Board of Trustees. The USU BOT gave the final approval for the composting initiative.
For senior political science major Jill Velarde, the compost initiative is a positive move.
“It’s a good effort,” she said. “The posters [on the tables and bins] are a good move. However, they need to publicize it more to make it more successful.”
Johnson said they will use KBeach, College Beat Productions, and other methods to spread awareness of the new compost initiative. For now, there are placards located on the food court tables.
Senior biochemistry major Mike Trinh agrees with the sentiment that there needs to be more publicity instead of the small information posters on the tables.
“I think the best way to implement composting at school would be for ASI to have booths outside, like they do for other occasions,” Trinh said.
However, Alia Sabino, a senior nursing major, said that classroom visits may be a better way to publicize since not all students have the time to stop by booths and tables.
“I do think it’s a good idea, but there needs to be more public information about it,” she said. “They need to inform the students more, like telling us where the compost will go and how exactly it will help.”