WEBVTT 00:00.000 --> 00:04.000 Welcome to the Comet Composting training presented by the Office of Sustainability. 00:06.000 --> 00:17.000 In this video you can expect to learn what composting is and why we do it, how you can compost at UT Dallas, and what you can and cannot compost. 00:18.000 --> 00:27.000 This video is part of a larger training module that does include a post-quiz to allow you to be certified to compost on campus. 00:27.000 --> 00:34.000 The video should be less than 10 minutes long and not too intensive, so without further ado, let's get into it. 00:36.000 --> 00:39.000 In order to compost, we need to know what composting is. 00:40.000 --> 00:49.000 Composting is, briefly, the recycling of organic matter like food waste into fertilizer that is then used to enrich soil and plants. 00:50.000 --> 01:30.000 Composting is one of three processes that makes use of organic waste. The other two are using it as food or feed for livestock or turning it into a fuel source through processes like anaerobic digestion. 01:04.000 --> 01:20.000 Composting is nice because it produces soil that is generally rich in nutrients and fairly easy to process. Composting also reduces food waste, landfill methane emissions and helps conserve water by improving soil health and therefore water retention. 01:21.000 --> 01:27.000 Above all, composting is relatively easy to do and freely accessible at UTD. 01:29.000 --> 01:35.000 In order to compost it UTD, you'll need to get involved with Comet Composting, our residential composting program. 01:36.000 --> 01:43.000 This program is headed by the Office of Sustainability at UTD in partnership with Turn Compost, who you'll hear about in a bit. 01:44.000 --> 02:02.000 Through these two organizations, it is completely free and accessible to any students living on campus to compost. All you need to do is complete this training module, and once you've successfully complete the post-quiz, you'll be able to get a composting caddy just like the one you see on the right and can start composting immediately. 02:03.000 --> 02:13.000 So to give a little bit more context on who Turn Compost is, they're a DFW based environmental organization providing compost collection services to the wider community. 02:15.000 --> 02:29.000 They help transport organic waste to industrial composting services and they also produce soil supplements of their own, sell compostable and locally sourced products, and help service the community through education and consulting. 02:31.000 --> 02:55.000 Composting at UTD is fairly easy once you complete the training, you can come to the Office of Sustainability and check out a caddy. We'll also provide you with food waste liners for free that you can use to put inside your caddy. You can then put any approved organic waste inside your liner and as the liner fills --or each week just to be safe and take it out of your caddy and dispose of it in the bins around campus. 02:56.000 --> 03:15.000 Each of these bins, as you can see in the top right, have the Turn logo on them and are locked. The combination for every bin will be 1969. Please make sure to lock the bin after you use it to prevent the compost from being contaminated by pollutants such as plastic, glass or metal. 03:16.000 --> 03:32.000 After you dispose of your liner, you can pick up a new one at designated locations around campus, which I'll show you in a bit. And just as a side note, if any of those dispensers are ever empty, you can always contact the Office of Sustainability and we'll get out there and refill them as soon as we can. 03:33.000 --> 03:44.000 At the time of this training, there are only three locations to pick up liners around campus, but that might change in future. So just keep yourself updated or reach out if you have any questions. 03:45.000 --> 03:57.000 Please make sure to service your caddy regularly. Make sure that you are disposing of your compost on a regular basis and that you're cleaning out your caddy and make sure that you only use it for organic waste. 03:58.000 --> 04:80.000 Finally, when you leave UTD, please return your caddy to the Office of Sustainability so that a new student can start composting and help keep our program fully sustainable. 04:10.000 --> 04:49.000 This infographic shows you what you can and cannot compost. The things you can compost include your general food waste: raw fruit, veggie scraps, grains, wheat, coffee grounds, filters, tea bags, beans, nuts, seeds. You can also compost paper products like shredded paper or food-soiled paper towels, as well as egg shells, leaves, flowers and plant clippings, thanks to Turn partnering with large scale industrial composting facilities that can operate at really high temperatures, we can also process meat, fish bones and dairy products. So those are good to compost as well. 04:50.000 --> 05:13.000 Things that you cannot compost include glass, metal and plastic products, high volumes of liquids and pet waste. If you're ever unsure whether you can compost something or not, refer back to this graphic which will be on the front of your caddy or reach out to the Office of Sustainability. You can also reach out directly to Turn Compost, as you can see their contact information in the bottom right. 05:16.000 --> 05:25.000 Now for bin and liner locations. Currently we are operating 11 bins all around campus. As you can see on this map on the right. 05:26.000 --> 05:36.000 The bins are mostly located in residential areas, but there is also one right behind McDermott Library so that you can compost on campus if you'd like to. 05:37.000 --> 05:48.000 There's a bin at Northside, a bin at Canyon Creek and everywhere in between, so you can find the bin that's closest to you or easiest for you to get to and dump your compost there. 05:49.000 --> 05:55.000 If you need new liners or more, you can find those at Phase Three and Five as well as Northside. 05:58.000 --> 06:50.000 And with that, you have all the information you need to start composting, so you're now free to take our little training post-quiz. 06:06.000 --> 06:18.000 Once you take that post-quiz and get the email confirmation that you're now ready to start composting, you can head up to our office in Facilities Management near Northside and pick up your own caddy. 06:19.000 --> 06:37.000 So with that, thank you so much. We recognize your commitment to creating a more sustainable campus and reducing food waste by completing this compost training, and we're excited to work with you in the future. If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to contact us. We're here to be your resource for you. Thank you so much.