Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 72.62
Liaison Lisa Kilgore
Submission Date March 7, 2014
Executive Letter Download

STARS v1.2

Cornell University
OP-T2-23: Landscape Waste Composting

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.25 / 0.25
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution compost or mulch waste from grounds keeping, including grass trimmings?:
Yes

A brief description of the composting or mulching program:

The majority of the agricultural composting at Cornell is carried out by Farm Services, a Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station (CUAES) operation and includes far more than waste from grounds keeping (please see details in the attached public notes). What constitutes University Grounds includes an extensive area used for agricultural teaching, research and outreach -
Since 1992, the Cornell Grounds department has collected thousands of cubic yards of yard waste from normal lawn maintenance activities. All yard waste is ground and composted in order to reduce and reuse materials. This reduces disposal fees, transportation costs and the need to buy topsoil. Our management practices have reduced the amount of material going into landfills as well as the contamination of water sources on and adjacent to the campus.


The percentage of landscape waste that is mulched or composted onsite:
---

The percentage of landscape waste that is mulched or composted off-site:
---

The website URL where information about the program, policy, or practice is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

Farm Services, an operation of the CUAES, collects compostable materials from on-campus facilities. Each year, Cornell composts approximately 850 tons of food waste, 3300 tons of animal manure and bedding, and 300 tons of plant material and soil. Organic material for composting is trucked to an established site near campus and unloaded into windrows. Material is turned on a regular basis (as weather permits) with a self-propelled straddle turner machine. Compost is considered finished within 6 to 9 months, and is then available for use on Cornell farm fields, campus construction projects, research trials, and to private purchasers.

A full report on the CUAES compost facility can be referenced at http://cwmi.css.cornell.edu/farmservices.pdf


Farm Services, an operation of the CUAES, collects compostable materials from on-campus facilities. Each year, Cornell composts approximately 850 tons of food waste, 3300 tons of animal manure and bedding, and 300 tons of plant material and soil. Organic material for composting is trucked to an established site near campus and unloaded into windrows. Material is turned on a regular basis (as weather permits) with a self-propelled straddle turner machine. Compost is considered finished within 6 to 9 months, and is then available for use on Cornell farm fields, campus construction projects, research trials, and to private purchasers.

A full report on the CUAES compost facility can be referenced at http://cwmi.css.cornell.edu/farmservices.pdf

The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.