Composting Around the Office

What goes in the compost heap

• Composting Around the Office
• Organic Waste
• The Science Behind Composting

Compost is a mixture of various decaying organic substances, as dead leaves or manure, used for fertilizing soil. Composting saves money and landfill space, and more importantly, it is environmentally friendly. In an effort to decrease the amount of valuable compost going into the landfill, R4 is working together with the UC Davis campus to reach the goal of Zero Waste by 2020 through the creation of programs to encourage composting around campus.

A few of the programs we currently have that are working towards our Zero Waste goal:

• Zero Waste Events
• Food Focus

Zero Waste Buildings on Campus

R4 is also currently in the process of implementing composting bin systems in every building on campus. We are in the middle of training individual buildings on how to properly identify materials as organics for composting. So far, pilot programs have been established at:

• Human Resources
• The John Muir Institute for the Environment

Composting around the office

Think there isn't anything you can compost in your office? Think again! Anything made of organic (carbon-based) materials can be composted. Here is a list of common office materials that can be composted:

Compost coffee grounds and filters

• Food scraps
• Coffee ground and filters
• Paper Towels
• Gum
• Wax lined paper and containers (e.g. coffee cups)
• Napkins
• Paper plates
• Tea bags

Compost Science

See our Composting Science page for a quick overview of the science behind composting.

Non-R4 Compost Projects

• Project Compost Project Compost is a program on the UC Davis campus run independently from R4. You can visit their website or call them at (530) 754-8227.
• HowToCompost.org has articles and links covering all topics about composting and organic gardening
• CompostGuide.com has tons of composting information