EPA funds West Chester University community food composting project

West Chester University, located in West Chester, Pennsylvania, recently won a $12,060 grant for a food composting project from the Environmental Protection Agency in celebration of America Recycles Day.
 
The funding will allow the university to develop a food composting project for the entire West Chester Borough, which will see food scraps from the university, local restaurants, senior living facilities and the Chester County Hospital diverted from landfills. The project will be a 12-month pilot.
 
“West Chester University has already demonstrated itself as a leader in sustainability efforts, and this funding will help the university further expand its food recovery and composting efforts,” EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Shawn Garvin said. “By diverting food scraps away from a landfill for composting, the university and West Chester Borough are making a valuable commitment to maintain a sustainable environment.”
 
While the recycling of non-food products has dramatically increased throughout the U.S., rates of recycling for excess or wasted food are still only at about 5 percent -- equivalent to 37 million tons of wasted food in 2014.

Food is the largest waste category in municipal landfills throughout the country, making projects that compost food scraps, like West Chester University’s, a vital part of expanding recycling in the country.