USF St. Petersburg launches industrial composter to tackle food waste

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Scraps from students’ plates and dining hall kitchens at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg are getting a second life as nutrient-rich soil, thanks to an industrial-sized composter unveiled Monday.

Food waste composter

What we know:

The student-led project utilizes a machine capable of digesting up to 1,000 pounds of food waste per day, ranging from coffee grounds to chicken bones. Instead of rotting in the trash, the waste becomes nutrient-rich soil for the school’s grounds.

"Food waste has always been a major concern for our student body," Siddarth Bahl, a USF St. Pete student and current chair of the Student Green Energy Fund, said. "For years, past classes have invested in other solutions and technology that have been successful, but at smaller scales. Today, we introduce this industrialized solution to the large-scale problem that we used to have."

The initiative is a partnership between USF and the City of St. Petersburg, along with grant funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and a donation from Duke Energy.

What's next:

While right now the focus is processing campus waste for use on university grounds, project organizers plan to scale up operations to benefit the broader community. Future phases of the project aim to collect food waste from area restaurants and markets, and sell the resulting compost back to local farms and residents.

"Turning dining hall waste into compost for USF's own grounds is only phase one," St. Pete Mayor Ken Welch said. "The plan is to grow into something much bigger with much more impact. That means less waste in our landfills, healthier soil in our neighborhoods, and new opportunities for our students to gain real experience building a green business from the ground up."

University officials also expect the composter to offer students research opportunities, and learn more about environmental science, business and more. 

"You can see a project like this really taps into many of the strengths of USF St. Pete," Dr. Thomas Smith, the interim regional chancellor, said. "We are a problem-solving, community-connected, research university. And so, all of that comes together nicely with this project."