The Brief
- The University of South Florida St. Petersburg unveiled an industrial-sized composter capable of processing 1,000 pounds of food waste per day Monday.
- The student-led initiative turns dining hall scraps and food prep waste into nutrient-rich soil for the campus grounds.
- University leaders plan to expand the program by collecting waste from local restaurants and then selling the compost to farms and the public.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Scraps from students’ plates and dining hall kitchens at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg are getting a second life as nutrient-rich soil, thanks to an industrial-sized composter unveiled Monday.
Food waste composter
What we know:
The student-led project utilizes a machine capable of digesting up to 1,000 pounds of food waste per day, ranging from coffee grounds to chicken bones. Instead of rotting in the trash, the waste becomes nutrient-rich soil for the school’s grounds.
“Food waste has always been a major concern for our student body,” Siddarth Bahl, a USF St. Pete student and current chair of the Student Green Energy Fund, said. “For years, past classes have invested in other solutions and technology that have been successful, but at smaller scales. Today, we introduce this industrialized solution to the large-scale problem that we used to have.”
The initiative is a partnership between USF and the City of St. Petersburg, along with grant funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and a donation from Duke Energy.…