Composting Program on Campus

Aquinas College has partnered with Michigan-based, Spurt Industries to compost the campus' organic waste. Spurt Industries has built a business around recycling organic waste materials, helping to reduce the amount of waste that enters landfills while creating nutrient-rich soil products. The top soil and mulch products are sold for use in lawns, gardening, flower beds, and other applications.

What is Composting?

Composting is a system which utilizes natural processes to decompose organic materials that would otherwise end up in a landfill. The rate at which materials decompose in a composting pile depends on several factors, such as pile size, material inputs, and how often it is turned. Oxygen is a key element in the composting process, needed to support the growth of bacteria to break down the organic materials. For this reason, composting piles are turned to ensure that oxygen is available throughout the pile, helping to speed the decomposition process. The end product of composting is fertile, nutrient rich soil.

The "Ins and Outs" of AQ Composting

So, you may be asking yourself, what can I compost? How will I know if something is biodegradable or not?

Don't worry- it's easy. On every composting bin you will find a list of items that can and cannot be composted. The green composting containers are located alongside the blue recycling containers all across campus. Just like trash bins, these composting bins will be emptied frequently to avoid the buildup of odors.

If you get confused as to what items can be composted, just remember to PASS on Plastics, Aluminum, and Styrofoam products.

Here's a basic list of acceptable items:

Food Scraps
Paper Cups
Coffee Grounds & Filters
Paper Towels & Napkins
Paper Plates
Waxed Paper Cartons
Pizza Boxes
Cardboard

Composting Bin Locations

Building	Bin Location
Academic Building	Basement- Near Elevator First Floor- Near Elevator Second Floor- Central Kitchenette Third Floor- Near Elevator
Albertus Hall	Basement First Floor- Near Central Stairwell First Floor- Near East Stairwell Second Floor- Near Central Stairwell Third Floor
Art and Music Center	Lower Level- Near Kretschmer Recital Hall Upper Level
Brink Hall	Kitchen
Browne Center	Office Area- First Floor Kitchen Residential Area- Lower Trash Room Residential Area- 1st Floor Residential Area- 2nd Floor
Campus Safety	Near Restrooms
Cook Carriage House	Moose Cafe Commons 2nd Floor by booths
Dominican Hall	One in each quad
Donnelly Conference Center	Upper Level Lower Level Breakroom
Gatehouse	Breezeway
Holmdene	Basement- Kitchen Second Floor- Near Elevator
Hruby Hall	Basement- West Wing Main Floor- Residence Wing Main Floor- Kitchen Second Floor- Near Elevator
Jarecki/Lacks/Hauenstein Complex	Piazza/Lobby Library Kitchen Second Floor- Near North Entrance
Kay House	n/a
Knape Hall	Outside Front Entrance
Meijer Hall	Kitchen
Performing Arts Center	Lobby
Ravine Apartment D	All Four Floors- Near Elevator
Ravine Apartments (A, B & C)	Entry Level Lobby Second Floor
Regina Hall	East Wing, Floors 1-3- Near Elevator West Wing, Floors 1-4- Near Elevator Main Floor Lobby
St. Joseph Hall	First Floor- Lobby First Floor- Laundry Room Second Floor- Laundry Room Third Floor- Laundry Room
Sturrus Sports & Fitness Center	Main Hallway Upstairs Fitness Center
Theatre Arts Annex	Green Room
Wege Student Center	Lower Level- Near the Couches Lower Level- Inside the Corner Cafe Second Floor- Cafeteria Third Floor- Lobby Third Floor- Ballroom Third Floor- Loutit Room
Willowbrook	Near Kitchen
Woodcock Hall	Near Rear Entrance

Additional Downloadable Resources:

Guideline Handout (pdf)

Visual depiction of compostable materials (pdf)