Thanks to student involvement in local organizations, a new program is being developed to turn leftovers from NAU’s dining services into compost for an on-campus garden.

The Students for Sustainable Living and Urban Gardening (SSLUG), a student-run organization, have joined with NAU’s Center for Sustainable Environments (CSE) and Sodexo’s Environmental Action Program in an effort to accommodate the campus’ eco-friendly policies. This plan would see waste transferred from dining buildings to the SSLUG garden located on South Campus near the Social and Behavioral Sciences building. 

Ian Dixon-McDonald, a coordinator for SSLUG, said the program not only helps out the campus, but the community as well.

The Hot Spot and the DuBois Center will start composting disposed leftover food, which decomposes into fertilizer. Students for Sustainable Living and Urban Gardening (SSLUG) will use the compost to fertilize their garden on South Campus. - Ian Horvath/ The Lumberjack

“Many universities compost their food waste, and as a supposed eco-conscious campus, we need a composting program as well,” Dixon-McDonald said. “The reasoning behind the project is to reduce waste produced by NAU, turn a perceived waste into a resource, provide locally made compost for the garden and educate the community about composting and waste reduction.”

What started this past summer as development toward a compost program to replace NAUís previous program gained momentum, thanks in part to the SSLUG garden and its proximity to South Campus, specifically dining in the DuBois center.

DeJa Walker, a member of the CSE and coordinator for the compost project, said despite the opportunities, those involved are working on the project one step at a time.

“Starting small was key,” Walker said. “It seemed only logical to connect the south dining hall to (SSLUG’s) campus garden. (This) led me to research what NAU was willing to support.”

NAU’s support led to an increase in finances, where Walker was able to purchase six large composting machines, also known as earth tubs. In addition, six bins and rollers were purchased for collecting and transporting waste. This process will involve the participation of students and staff members alike in the creation and management of the compost. 

Training will be required for both workers and volunteers, wherein they will learn which food wastes are compostable and how to sort them appropriately. After being sorted into bins, the waste will be left outside the du Bois center, where volunteers from SSLUG will collect it three to four times a week. It will then be deposited in the earth tubs, where it will be mixed with dry landscaping waste and used as a soil amendment for the garden.

“The goal of this program is to start a small composting link that is sustainable and long-lasting,” Walker said. “We hope to show the importance of composting our waste here on campus (by) its productive use on the SSLUG garden.”

To Dixon-McDonald, the idea of a compost program on campus seemed too advantageous to pass up, especially given the resources available.

“Why throw away a valuable resource when it could be used right here on campus?” Dixon-McDonald said. “It is really not expensive when compared to other university costs. It could even reduce costs via trash reduction.”

Despite these possibilities, NAU was home to a compost program between 1999 and 2004 that failed due partly to a lack of support from the school. Kathy O’Hern, recycling and compost director at NAU until 2003, said the school’s lack of interest was pivotal in the program’s demise.

“In a word, NAU did not support the program,” O’Hern said. “It was very sad because NAU was way ahead of the sustainability movement back then.”

As a result, ideas for this new proposed program have come primarily from students, which Dixon-McDonald said is necessary if the current project hopes to have any success.

“NAU wants to be eco-friendly, but compost is not as flashy as high-tech green building,” Dixon-McDonald said. “Since the administration is not really taking charge, the students are making it happen.”

Walker said he hopes the entire campus will grow supportive of the program and will expand upon the one garden on South Campus.

“I envision the faculty, staff and students actively participating and responsibly taking efforts to support an efficient composting program,” Walker said. “Maybe (in time) the whole campus can become an edible garden.”

More information on SSLUG and the compost project can be found by e-mailing gardensslug@gmail.com.