CAA Quarterly Newsletter
November 2011
Department of Agriculture (cont.)
Cade said she hopes to expand Bobcat Blend into residence halls for students to put organic waste into small buckets. They would then be placed within larger containers at the end of each hall. She said composting bins are available at almost all of the collection sites for students to dump organic waste. Cade said she is looking into applying for other sustainable agriculture research grants, which can potentially fund up to $100,000. She said the project receives funding from grants and the student environmental service fee of $1 per student each semester. Tyler Barlow, agriculture senior, helps out with the project. He said anything the employees and volunteers are able to accomplish is a success, since the operation is primarily paid for by grant money. “If it was school backed and school funded that would be another thing,” Barlow said. Cade said the project reduces the amount of waste in landfills and prepares students for jobs in the industry. She said a study completed by a student showed composting saves the university about $1,000 to $3,000 in trash hauling fees per year. “[Composting is] just kind of the right thing to do,” Cade said. “Especially if you’ve visited a landfill, it’s amazing what it looks like and nobody wants to live on a giant pile of trash.”
For more information, follow Texas State composting and recycling initiatives at Bobcat Blend.