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Compostable Collection at Pitt

Aug 18, 2020

Everything you need to know about collection of compostables on Pitt’s campus!

Did you know that Pitt has a goal to divert 50% of food waste to compost by 2025?

You can help by diverting your compostables on campus — and check out our progress here! Composting uses natural decomposition to turn organic waste into nutrient-rich fertilizer for gardening. Pitt sends its compostables to an industrial compost facility. Pitt compost locations accept dairy products, meat, bones, bread and pastries, fruits, vegetables (any food stuff) even those not commonly accepted in backyard compost.

Materials accepted in campus Compost collection stations include:

Food waste of any kind!
Pizza boxes
Coffee grounds
Paper towels
Napkins & tissues
BPI-certified compostable dinnerware, cups, and utensils
Shredded newspaper

The following buildings are collecting compostables

Barco Law (building-wide)
Benedum Hall (building-wide)
Eureka Building (building-wide)
Falk School (cafeteria)
Mervis Hall (building-wide)
O’Hara Student Center (building-wide)
Petersen Events Center
University Club (back of house)
William Pitt Union (building-wide)
Pre-consumer food waste is also being collected in Pitt Eats kitchens campus-wide. The Amos Hall Starbucks and several on-campus coffee locations also compost their coffee grounds.

You’ll also find compostable collection & drop-off at the following locations:

Events! Look for compost collection locations Pitt events — or request one for an event you are organizing (via Pitt Green Events at the bottom of our Get Active page)
Farmer’s Market @ Pitt (William Pitt Union, Thursdays, 10:30am to 2pm — August through November) – Fall 2021 dates on our event calendar
Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation (153 Benedum) – Open for public dropoff during business hours when staffed (evolving during the pandemic).

While there are currently limited locations on campus that collect compostables on a regular basis, the Pitt Sustainability team is actively working to scale up campus-wide compost collection locations. Look for more building-specific collection locations for compostables to be rolled out in the future.

Compostables from our Pittsburgh campus are taken to AgRecycle‘s commercial compost facility. If you’re interested in learning more about composting in your own backyard at home, check out Pennsylvania Resources Council for basics, classes, & resources, plus Shadyside Worms & Worm Return for home systems.