Butler begins program to compost dining hall food waste

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Butler University started their new composting program where they will take food waste and turn it into fertilizer.

The university will compost food waste from its dining halls on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Last year, an audit of Butler’s trash found 600 pounds each of trash, food waste and recyclables thrown away on just one day. So beginning Tuesday, the school’s trash cans will be replaced with compost bins.

The University hired “Green With Indy” to pick up the waste and bring it to Green Cycle of Indiana where it will be turned into natural fertilizer.

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.