The half-eaten pile of mush masquerading as mashed potatoes you left on your plate may soon be valuable resources for Dartmouth's composting program.
Dartmouth Recycles said it plans to work with a new $150,000 composting facility, which would allow the College to turn 14 times more waste into soil than it currently does. Composting is a process through which organic wastes are turned into rich soil that can be used in agriculture.
The plan is part of Dartmouth's efforts to reduce the amount of waste ending up in a landfill that uses precious and expensive land.
While the facility will cost $150,000 to build and $21,000 to operate annually, it will save Dartmouth $15,000 dollars a year in waste disposal costs, according to the proposal. The goal is to have the facility built by March.
Also Dartmouth will not pay any money to build the facilities, but will lend two environmental engineering firms some of its land near the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, said William Hochstin, director of Dartmouth Recycles.
The Slushinger Group and Resource Optimization Technologies will design, build and fund the project, Hochstin said.
Hochstin said the College would be one of the largest facilities to use the new technology, which allows more waste to decay faster.
Last year, Dartmouth composted 70 tons of waste using a traditional outdoor composting process. But with the new technology, the College could compost more than 1,000 tons annually, Hochstin said.
The two firms will run the experimental facility to test the new composting system. Under the experimental system, wastes would first be shredded to create more surface area and then placed into a Biofermenter. This enclosed building controls carbon dioxide, oxygen and temperature levels to create the ideal conditions for the bacteria that decompose the wastes into soil.
The technology reduces composting time from several months to two or three weeks, Hochstin said.
The facility would also remove limitations Dartmouth has experienced with its traditional program.
The College's current composting methods are restricted to suitable land because it uses manure and involves the process of decay, resulting in foul odors and health concerns.
The new facility would accelerate the process of decay, keep the smells contained in buildings and control the number of pests attracted to composts, Hochstin said.
Dartmouth Dining Services Director Peter Napolitano said the College will have the capacity to compost organic wastes directly from students' plates, including mashed potatoes, bones, fat and gristle as well as wax-coated cardboard used in most packaging.
"If we can [compost] it all, we'll be close to composting 100 percent of post-plate and packaging waste," he said.
Both Hanover and Dartmouth, which will send waste materials to the facility, will save money on electric bills, water bills and trash disposal, Hochstin said.
"When this began it was for the College," Hochstin said. "But, as we got into it we realized the College shouldn't have its own system and the town another. What we wanted was a partnership."
Hanover will use the facility to compost yard-waste as well as sludge from its sewage treatment plant.
The product of the composting, the rich top-soil, will be divided between Dartmouth and those who put up the capital for the facility. Half of the soil produced will go to Dartmouth's organic garden at Fullington farm, Jim Hourdequin '97 said.
