Multi family buildings can play a role in:

•  Reducing food waste by composting food scraps
•  Recovering/donating food
•  Recycling
•  Educating residents and visitors about reducing food waste

STEP 1 – IDENTIFY WHERE FOOD SCRAPS  OCCUR

Learn to understand where food waste is occurring and what the disposal practices are for the building.

• Are food scraps currently thrown away with the garbage and going to a landfill? If so, how much trash is being generated and how often is it collected?
• Does your building have a trash chute?
• Is there a cleaning service that removes trach from  units?

STEP 2 – DETERMINE ONSITE or OFFSITE COMPOSTING

Decide whether to collaborate with an off-site composting operation or to invest in an internal, on-site program. Two general options exist for composting food waste once it’s been diverted from institution trash.

1) Transport the material off-site to an approved composting facility

– OR-

2) Establish an on-site composting operation.

On-site:  composting on the property or inside the institution (bins/tumblers, vermicomposting, in-vessel composter, dehydrator, anaerobic digester)
Off-site:  composting having food scraps hauled to a compost facility or farm (windrows, in-vessel or aerated container technologies)

                

To learn more about commercial composting businesses that provide service in your area, please see our page on Haulers and Processors.

STEP 3 – DESIGN COLLECTION SYSTEM

The system for separating compostable’s at the source (kitchen, cafeteria, etc) and transporting the materials to a collection point  (loading dock, etc)  is a vital part of any institution food scrap composting program. It should be as convenient as possible. The primary objectives of the collective system are to:

•  Maximize the capture rate of compostable materials
•  Eliminate non-organic contaminants such as plastic wraps, rubber bands, glass, and metal
•  Minimize labor and space requirements

Collection systems in institutions vary according to the specific needs of each including space limitations, and general layout of work areas. In grocery stores and food service institutions, collection containers can be placed at workstations in the produce area, deli, bakery, and even dairy departments.

STEP 4 – PARTNERSHIPS

Building a successful food scrap composting program relies on collaboration across many areas. The key partners that support the successful launch and maintenance of a composting program can include food service provider, custodial staff, hauler, compost processor, procurement and more. Each will play a role in launching and ensuring the success of your program.

The list below represents materials commonly accepted in commercial compost collection programs. Multi Family Buildings should always get a detailed list from their chosen service provider, as these items can vary from processor to processor.

Compostable Material

• produce-trimmings
• spoiled fruits and  vegetables
• day-old bread and pastries, excess batter, spoiled bakery products
• dairy products-cheese, yogurt, ice cream
• miscellaneous by-products
• floral waste and trimmings/plants
• leftovers that cannot be served again
• frozen foods
• coffee grounds/filters
• tea bags
• eggshells/ cartons
• meat trimmings (some facilities prohibit the inclusion of large bones or bulk quantities of grease, oils, and fats in the compost. Although these products are biodegradable, they are slow to decompose and may attract rodents or other animals.  Local renderers are a better choice for handling significant quantities of this type of material)

Compostable Food Service Products

• biodegradable service ware
• paper trays
• paper food wrappers
• napkins/paper towels
• wet or lightly waxed corrugated cardboard
• paper plates and cups

Common Contaminants – NOT COMPOSTABLE

• foil wrappers
• Polystyrene foam
• plastic gloves
• plastic utensils (forks, spoons, knives, plates, cups, stir sticks, lids, etc.)
• single-serve containers (condiments, cream, etc.)
• plastic and wire ties
• plastic food wrap

The cost of Multi family buildings composting varies based on a few factors:

• The amount of food waste to be composted
• Local infrastructure and baseline pricing for hauling and composting

Amount of food waste to be composted – Before calling service providers, estimate volume/weight: One way to estimate the amount of food waste generated is to measure all of the scraps produced in each area during a typical operation week and project this amount over time.

Pricing – Disposal costs are usually billed to institutions by the cubic yard (a volume measurement). This is based on either container size and frequency of collection or a direct measure of the weight of the food scraps.

Standard container sizes and their volume capacity include:
5- gallon container – .025 cubic yards
30-gallon container – .15 cubic yards
55-gallon container – .27 cubic yards

Converting food waste volume to weight varies based on food type and moisture. If your trash disposal cost is weight-based, fill a container with your building’s food waste, weigh it for an approximate conversion.

Cost savings on the purchase of finished compost – You can often negotiate beneficial arrangements with a composting operation in exchange for providing your buildings feedstock to them. For instance, if there is an annual giveaway of finished compost by a municipal program, your building may be able to receive an amount of finished compost proportionate to the raw material supplied.

A common arrangement with companies who sell their finished product is to buy the finished compost back at a reduced rate. Your building may also be able to arrange “custom composting” where the processor creates the type of finished compost best suited for your needs (i.e. large, unscreened material for erosion control, finely screened material for flower beds, or compost blended with topsoil for landscaping).

 

Step One: Engage Owners, Managers and Staff

• Talk with the owner or highest decision-making person early on in the process. Buy-in from the top is vital.
• Do you have a Green Team that could take care of some of the research or planning tasks outlined below?
• Consider appointing a compost champion to be the point-person to help ensure the longevity and success of your program.
• As with any operational change, your compost program will be more successful with buy-in from employees. Get key employees involved early in the process and make sure your compost goals are clear.

Step Two: Do the Research

Contact your garbage/recycling hauling company!

Call and ask them if they offer a compost program (sometimes called “food scrap” or “organics” program). If your hauler does not offer compost collection, see the list of compost haulers on this website. You can either change your waste and recycling hauler to one company that provides all three services to secure package pricing, or add a new hauler just for compost pickup.

Here are some questions to ask the hauler:

1. What size containers/bins do you offer for composting?
2. How frequently will the containers/bins be picked up?
3. Will all containers/bins (Landfill, Recycling, and Compost) fit in the current dumpster area?
4. What is the cost of the service? Will this cost be offset by an equivalent decrease in the cost for hauling garbage?
5. When are you available for a walkthrough so I can assess how to set up a compost program for my business operations.

Additional Questions:

1. What type of food items are acceptable? Cooked food? Meat? Bones?
2. What type of non-food items are acceptable? Napkins? Paper service ware? BPI certified compostable products?
3. What compost related services do you offer (indoor bins, signage, staff training, waste audits)?
4. Is using a specific type of bin liner (compostable bags) required?
5. Do you have other organizations in the area with a compost program?

Step Three: Prepare for Launch

• Do a walk-through with your hauler and key lead members. Determine the following details.
• Consider what are the common food scraps being discarded. Meat scraps? Bones? Fruit peels? Vegetable scraps?
• Discuss common non-food compostables – list other items commonly discarded that your program will accept. These often include: napkins, paper towels, waxed paper, and paper plates/cups.
• Identify key locations of food scrap generation (such as prep and dish-washing stations) and make sure there is room to place compost, recycling, and trash containers, as well as signage in each of these locations.
• Set up signs and containers.

Tips for creating your own signs:

• Create visual and color-coded signage.
• Include actual photos of the recyclables, compostable, and landfill items generated at your building.
• Have signs in multiple languages.
• Make sure signs are placed at eye-level directly above the containers to which they apply.
• Cluster the containers.
  • Always position the three bins together in “stations” to ensure proper items are placed in the correct bins. If you have multiple stations, set them all up in the same order. The arrangement displayed is in order of priority with compost first, recycle second, and landfill last in line! You will have more success if the compost bin is always paired with recycling and landfill bins. A lone compost container is likely to be treated as a general trash can!
• The color-coding below is the most common and is recommended for all signage.

TRAINING: Have a compost training and make it fun and engaging! Here are some ideas for you:

• Connect residents to the “why” of composting. Tell them what goes where and the have them put it into practice with a “compost relay” either through a PowerPoint presentation or an actual relay where residents physically sort items into the three bins.
• Designate a team leader for each work area to guide and remind residents of the proper way to sort.
• Have monthly goals on pounds composted. Share results with a compost “thermometer” posted in the mail room or residential common area of the progress made. Reward residents when the goal is reached.
• Frequently share information with residents on common items improperly place in the compost bin. What non-compostable items are you finding in the compost bins?

Next Steps:

• Decrease garbage service: Collecting compost separately means less stuff going into your garbage dumpster. Assess the periodically and decrease the size and/or pickup frequency of your garbage container and save $$!
• Monitor contamination. Have your Green Team or Compost Champion periodically check the compost containers for items that shouldn’t be there such as a plastic wrap, aluminum foil, and latex gloves.
• Expand and improve the program. Continually gather advice from employees on how the signs and containers are set up around the restaurant. They are your most frequent users, and their feedback is invaluable!
• If you started with back-of-house collection, expand to front-of-house.
  Do you have other locations or partner restaurants where this program might be a success?
• Advertise your program! Post signage announcing your compost program. Customers will be impressed by your green efforts. A recent survey showed 71% of Americans consider the environment when they shop.
  • Get recognized. Consider pursuing these certifications and awards.
    Join the We Compost program
    Take the EPA’s Food Recovery Challenge
    Pursue Green Business Certification

Close the loop! Purchase finished compost to use on your landscape and planters or give some finished compost to your employees as a thank you.

This program is made possible through the generosity of the Serle Funds at the Chicago Community Trust.