Cafeteria waste is being transformed into nutrient-enriched compost thanks to a project spearheaded by students at Appalachian State University. 

Tons of lettuce leaves, tomatoes, cabbage and carrot ends, and other waste generated from the university’s salad bars, are being tossed into a giant “salad” dressed with pine bark,  and left to create a rich compost which will be used for campus landscaping. 

“Members of Students Actively Volunteering for the Environment approached us with the idea,” said Jim Rice, coordinator of ASU’s recycling program. “We obtained the necessary state permits and began the program in mid-September.”  

Some 200 pounds of the salad trimmings are collected each day and transported to a compost heap located on university-owned property. 

The mixture “cooks” for about three weeks, generating temperatures between 130 to 150 degrees as the materials decompose. “It’s amazing to know what’s in there and to see it turn into black dirt,” Rice said. 

The material is checked for e-coli, pathogens and heavy metals according to Environmental Protection Agency guidelines 

Rice estimates the compost project will move some 40 tons a year from the university’s waste stream, saving some $38 per ton. 

ASU recycles some 220 tons of waste each year, including 95,000 pounds of books and magazines recycled by the library.