Malaspina adopts new composting program

Malaspina University-College is going green.

Organic food waste from the Nanaimo campus is now being diverted to a new composting facility at Duke Point instead of the Nanaimo landfill.

"We implemented a composting program in our teaching kitchens two weeks ago," said Wayne Hiles, manager of Facilities Services at Malaspina. "As a result, we have reduced the amount of food waste going from Malaspina to the landfill by 50 or 60 percent. That percentage is expected to increase as students get more comfortable and familiar with the program."

Malaspina voluntarily adopted the composting program after being approached by International Composting Corporation (ICC), a private company that opened the Duke Point facility six months ago.

"ICC informed us about the Regional District of Nanaimo’s plans to eventually ban organic food waste from the landfill," explained Hiles. "Composting is good for the environment, so we decided to start right away."

Hiles said the composting program is making a big difference. Malaspina has removed one four-yard garbage dumpster, which was emptied twice a week, and replaced it with plastic totes used to collect organic waste from the kitchen. Students in the Culinary Arts and Professional Baking programs put all organic food waste into biodegradable bags supplied by ICC, including egg shells, bones, tea bags, coffee grounds, dairy products, fruits and vegetables, breads and pasta, biscuits and cakes, paper towels and napkins, paper plates and cups, pizza boxes, parchment paper and cheese cloth. Metal and plastic items are collected in separate totes, and recycled if possible.

The organic food waste is transported to the Duke Point facility by Malaspina's waste and recycling contractor, Capital Environmental, and dumped into giant digesters where it is cooked at 65 degrees celcius for three days and cured for another 21 days. The end result is saleable compost, which is bagged and sold at Canadian Tire, Food Country, 49th Parallel Grocery in Ladysmith and other stores throughout Vancouver Island.

Students are excited about the composting program, said Debbie Shore, acting coordinator of Malaspina's Culinary Arts program. With 120 students coming through Culinary Arts and Professional Baking programs each year, it makes sense to teach them about alternative methods of waste disposal, she said.

"We want our students to be environmentally conscious. They will eventually find jobs in restaurants and other food service areas, which normally generate a lot of food waste. Hopefully, our students will take this idea with them and it will blossom."

"I'm really happy that Malaspina is taking part in the composting program," said Culinary Arts student Kathy Jerritt. "Anything we can do to take waste and turn it into a usuable product is good for the environment."

The Culinary Arts department is now exploring the availability of paper products that can also be composted, including take out boxes, soup containers, coffee cups, and lids made of corn syrup. Facilities Services will also be looking at the possibility of collecting and composting of all paper towels used in washrooms, along with various type of yard waste, Hiles said. Malaspina will work closely with ICC and Capital Environmental to increase the composting program in the near future.

Jordan Ellis of International Composting Corporation said Malaspina is a "shining example" of how composting can work in the community and province. Landfills are filling up and they create methane gas, which leads to global warming, he added. "Everyone needs to do their part to protect the environment."

At the moment, Malaspina is one of the largest commercial operations on central Vancouver Island taking part in the composting program, said Ellis. "Several other local businesses have also come on board. We hope the momentum will grow."

Ellis said ICC specializes in developing technologies and processes that enable organic waste to be diverted from landfills and processed into high-grade quality products such as compost, fertilizer and other soil conditioners. "Through its products and services, ICC is building economically viable, sustainable solutions that provide an alternative that will create a healthier environment," he said.

ICC also collects yard and garden waste for composting, such as leaves, grass, flowers, branches, tree and shrub trimmings, weeds and small roots and clean potting soil. Wood waste, wood shingles and construction wood debris that is unpainted and free of nails, metal fasteners and glues are also acceptable.