For the first time in the over 100 year history of UMW we will start large scale composting. UMW produces over 5 tons of food waste a month, this is pre-and-post consumer waste. Previously this food would then go to landfills, a small portion would be rescued and donated, but most would be put into a landfill where it will create methane gas, a greenhouse gas that traps heat in the atmosphere. For at least the next three years we will divert an estimated 150 tons of food from the landfill and instead turn it into beneficial compost. This was all made possible from a grant from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.
