Towson University
OP-8: Food Recovery
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
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Reporter |
8.1 Food recovery program
Narrative and/or website URL providing an overview of the institution’s surplus food donation program:
Do the institution’s dining services divert pre-consumer food waste from disposal for processing and use as animal feed, compost, and/or biofuel?:
Narrative and/or website URL providing an overview of the institution’s pre-consumer food waste diversion program:
TU’s organics waste hauler, Waste Neutral, sends monthly reports detailing organics generation per location. These reports are shared annually with our dining services provider, Aramark. Newell Dining Hall and the Glen Dining Hall are both 4 Star Certified Green Restaurants and the West Village Commons Dining Hall is a 3 Star Certified Green Restaurant.
Per Maryland Law, HB264, TU must divert all food residuals from final disposal in a refuse disposal system. Compost bins are located throughout campus and all dining facilities compost pre- and post-consumer food waste. TU is working to convert the majority of waste receptacles to triple bin systems to capture food waste, recycling, and trash.
All TU compost is sent to Prince George's County's industrial composting facility in Upper Marlboro, Maryland.
Do the institution’s dining services divert post-consumer food waste from disposal for processing and use as animal feed, compost, and/or biofuel?:
Narrative and/or website URL providing an overview of the institution’s post-consumer food waste diversion program:
Per Maryland Law, HB264, TU must divert all food residuals from final disposal in a refuse disposal system. Compost bins are located in every building throughout campus and all dining facilities compost pre- and post-consumer food waste. TU is working to convert all waste receptacles to triple bin systems to capture compost, recycling, and trash. Areas that have a high volume of food waste (dining areas, event spaces, kitchens, etc.) all have triple bin systems already in place.
All compost bins have clear and consistent signage attached with both images and text of what can be composted. TU and Aramark are working to convert all dining packaging to compostable options. All plates, utensils, cups, bowls, and lids provided by TU catering are compostable.
TU has a digital waste directory where people can search specific items to determine if the item should be composted.
TU participates in Campus Waste to Zero Waste and works to address food waste during that initiative.
Aramark hosts monthly Weigh the Waste events in dining halls. Students are also educated about food waste reduction efforts while discarding their food waste, which is weighed and tracked.
All TU compost is sent to Prince George's County's industrial composting facility in Upper Marlboro, Maryland.
Do the institution’s dining services track and assess their food and organic materials management efforts on at least an annual basis to inform ongoing improvements?:
Narrative and/or website URL providing an overview of the institution’s food and organic materials management tracking and assessment initiatives:
Food waste data and initiatives are included in Aramark's Annual Sustainability Report. Data included in the report is provided by the Office of Sustainability via TU's organic waste hauler.
The Reporting Tool will automatically calculate the following figure:
Optional documentation
Additional documentation for this credit:
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.