Composting will make STU not only a model campus, but a model for the city of Fredericton

Food doesn’t belong in the trash. Anything that can be composted, should be composted to minimize food waste and return valuable nutrients to the soil. A community garden at St. Thomas University could be supported by a compost system to improve plant growth and lead to better produce and a better harvest.

We need to make sure we have a mix of nitrogen and carbon in order to create a sustainable compost pile that will benefit our garden. Leaves are a main source of carbon that are essential for our compost pile. In the fall, we should collect all the leaves on the campus and put them in storage so we can use them for the whole season. Other sources of carbon include sawdust, cardboard, paper, hay and straw.

Food waste will be our main source of nitrogen. Other sources of nitrogen include lawn clippings and coffee grounds. We will want to layer the compost and alternate between carbon and nitrogen layers. For every layer of nitrogen that’s put into the compost pile, we should use double the amount of carbon. We should check on the compost and churn it one to two times a month.

STU has all of the appropriate resources to create a sustainable compost pile. We have a large campus with many landscapers who already rake the leaves – it just requires a change in habit to rake these leaves and store them instead of disposing them. Every time the compost bin is left alone, we will want to cover it to make sure it retains its heat and doesn’t get too moist. Cardboard is the perfect thing to cover it with, which will be easy to obtain from the on-campus cardboard recycling bins.

We will also need to cover our compost pile in the winter. This is as simple as securing a tarp over the top and brushing off the snow every time it falls. Nitrogen and carbon create a chemical reaction that creates heat, so even in the winter we shouldn’t have to worry about our compost pile freezing because of the heat it produces. The action of churning it will also make sure the compost pile remains active.

It will take around six months for the pile to turn into compost. The collection of the food waste will require STU to change a couple of things around campus. They should implement in-residence compost bins with a clear label on top as to what can’t go into the bin. This should also be implemented in the cafeteria, and into James Dunn Hall and George Martin Hall.