Compost guidelines for Colorado changed in April. Right now, only food scraps and plant trimmings can be composted. Here are three things to know about how this change impacts composting on campus.
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The majority of CU Boulder’s compost stream continues to be composted. Campus operations generate an average of over 30,000 pounds of compost per week—the equivalent of four female elephants—from food scraps in dining halls and concessions and yard waste from landscaping.
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There are no public-facing compost bins since the region's only compost processing facility has restricted the acceptable materials.
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You can still compost, especially if you live off campus. Paper and plastic products labeled “compostable” are not currently accepted, but you can throw your food scraps and yard waste into residential compost bins.
CU Boulder is working on a way to resume collecting public-facing compostable materials, including longer-term infrastructure changes. Learn more about how campus is striving for zero waste.
