The document discusses composting at Porter Hospital and issues around composting post-consumer food waste from patients. It notes that while pre-consumer food waste is currently composted, post-consumer waste from patient trays poses questions due to potential for disease transmission. By 2020, a Vermont law will require composting of all food waste but there is no research showing post-consumer compost from a hospital setting is safe. This raises concerns about composting patient food waste due to illnesses like C. difficile and potential risks to public health that are not yet answered.