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Butler to compost dining hall food waste

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – Starting Tuesday, Butler University will begin composting food waste from its dining halls on Tuesdays and Fridays.

The University has hired Green With Indy to bring the waste to GreenCycle of Indiana, where it will be turned into fertilizer.

According to Greg Walton of Green With Indy, composting has a number of benefits:

  • Food waste is converted to a fertilizer that can used to create healthier food sources.
  • Pesticides, herbicides and lead in soil have been linked to developmental issues in children. Composting inactivates these harmful elements.
  • Composting eliminates chemical run-off into rivers, ponds and streams.
  • Food waste in landfills creates methane and carbon dioxide gases, which contributes to climate change.

The Student Government Association’s Council on Presidential Affairs funded the largest portion of the one-year contract with Green With Indy.

Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity and a Staff Training and Enrichment Program mini-grant series helped with start-up costs.

An audit of Butler’s trash in April 2014, showed 600 pounds each of trash, food waste and recyclables thrown away on just one day.