R3 Conference Onsite Organics

1. Organics recovery: Logistics
MassRecycle R3 Conference, 3-30-15
Quincy, MA
Rob Gogan
Harvard Campus Services
Rob_gogan@harvard.edu

2. Before Composting there are the first two “R’s”…
Freshman Dining mug tree
Eco-REP’s Clean Plate Club
Donating servable food to Food for Free

3. Signage and Specifications: Front-of-the-house

4. Norseman and several
other compost receptacles
also work well but on
campus we specify Busch
KC2000’s.

6. Special Event Recycling
With proper planning, Zero Waste is possible! Successful events at
President Faust’s Inauguration, Commencements since 2008, and
many functions and receptions

7. Compost option at
every waste station
Jyotin Rana at Harvard
Divinity School Rob Gogan at Yerba Buena Gardens,
San Francisco

8. Paul Kelly stands beside new Kennedy School waste stations.
Because of aggressive composting, HKS trash in March 2014 was
33% lower than trash in March 2013.

9. Waste Audits show over 25% organics
in residential & office waste stream

10. Dorm room composting
--Let students opt
out if they want
--Be prepared for
flies in hot weather
--Vinegar wash
helpful for odor
control
--Bags better than
barrels (Clearstream
Compost barrels) to
reduce washing labor
REP Coordinator Kelsey Grab with
student helper assembling Busch KC-
2000 two gallon compost buckets

11. Signage and specifications: Back-of-the-house

12. Kennedy School rodent-proof split
compactor for trash and compost
installed by Republic Services

13. Mike Pelletier’s OCC dam field expedient to prevent
swill spillage. Rear-load compactor better than
rendering truck for low ceilings at loading docks

14. BioGreen 360 working as advertised… making nuggets
of beautiful dog food “kibbles” which composted well
…but too many
gloves, film plastic
bags, rubber bands
and other
contaminants
plugged it up.
Caterer could not
keep organics stream
clean enough.

15. Somat food pulpers
• Used in nearly all kitchens
• Produce excellent compost stock
• Generate noise and vibration
• Generate odors in summer
• Chute to outdoor receptacle can freeze up
• Pulp may need to be raked to prevent
“pyramid plugs” in toters or dumpsters

16. Somat pulper installations
A river of food scrap slurry
coming out of the dishroom and
food prep areas…
…gets spun into “cooked rice” for
composting. Note green bag of
compostable serviceware loaded in from
front-of-the-house compost collection
sites.

17. Contractor dumps mixed food, yard
waste & animal bedding at landscape
nursery for composting—a savings of
$7/ton over disposal. Finished
compost will enhance soils for
agriculture and horticulture.
Composting also reduces water waste
87%, prevents sewage backups from
clogged pipes, and reduces BOD at
sewage treatment plant. Photo credit:
Justin Adams, MIT
Somat food pulp falls into rear-load 2-yarder.
Somat food pulper
receives piped food/water
slurry from multiple
locations in the building
to spin 50% dry (like
cooked rice).
Smaller kitchens place food waste
into lined 30-gallon barrels.
Composting Food Scraps
Harvard recovered 1,328 tons of food waste for composting into topsoil in FY2014.