Protect Our Wildlife introducing student composting program

As the president of Salve’s Protect Our Wildlife club, biology major Ricky Tegtmeier ’19 knows the value of providing opportunities for Salve students to embrace greener habits.

“Food waste is a major hidden issue in this country,” he said. “The U.S. Department of Agriculture has determined that Americans waste 30-40 percent of our food supply. When 133 billion pounds of food ends up in landfills, it costs Americans $161 billion in wasted money. Additionally, food trapped in landfills is eaten by bacteria that release methane into the atmosphere, which is far more potent of a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.”

To that end, Protect Our Wildlife has partnered with Sodexo to introduce Salve Saves Scraps, a program that encourages students to reduce their footprint by composting food waste in their campus residences.

Salve Saves Scraps will give students access to Salve’s commercial compost bins, which are located along Webster Street at the Miley Hall loading dock and are emptied weekly. Although collection will be limited to one two-gallon bin per room, there are no weight limits and no cap on registrations. Applications for the program will be accepted year-round.

As the program grows, Tegtmeier would like to offer biodegradable bag liners to students and provide extra bins in residence hall common areas. “We hope to see compost bins all around campus further down the line,” he added. “Overall, we hope this program can be a needed paradigm shift for Salve during the mercy year of earth.”

For more information, or to register for the program, email richard.tegtmeier@salve.edu.