Residential Composting at UNC
Funding/Equipment: In July 2013, the UNC Office of Waste Reduction and Recycling was
awarded a $2000 state agency grant from the NC Department of Environment and Natural
Resources to fund equipment to pilot a
residential composting program. With this
funding, OWRR purchased personal-sized
compost bins, green community collection
carts, and educational stickers and posters for
the bins (including design costs). The personal
compost bins were added to the Residence Hall
Association (RHA) Enhancements program,
StarRes, so that residents can check out a
personal compost bin along with items such as
vacuum cleaners, DVDs, sports equipment, etc.
This ensured that residents either returned their bin or paid a replacement fee to recoup costs.
Partnerships: OWRR works with the Residence Hall Association (RHA), Department of Housing
and Residential Education (DHRE), student government’s Environmental Affairs Committee
(EAC), and Carolina Campus Community Garden to plan and execute logistics and educational
programs.
Operations: Six communities (Manning East, Ehringhaus, Hinton James, Ram Village, Cobb and
Connor) participate in the pilot program, which will expand in the Spring 2015 semester. We
distributed over 300 personal compost bins to residents. Four community compost bins are
located at dumpster sites at the participating communities. Residents were responsible for
emptying their personal bins into the outdoor community carts (matching how they dispose of
personal recycling and trash). OWRR collected 222 pounds of food waste during the Spring 2014
semester and 978 pounds of food waste during the Fall 2014 semester. The food waste is
collected from community cart sites by an OWRR intern and taken to the Carolina Campus
Community Garden, where volunteers turn it into compost used to grow
Natalia Posthill
Office of Waste Reduction and Recycling, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Natalia.posthill@fac.unc.edu | 919-962-4699