WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:07.000 Welcome to the Comic Composting Training presented by the UT Dallas Office of Sustainability. 00:00:07.000 --> 00:00:13.000 In this video you can expect to learn what composting is and why we do it, 00:00:13.000 --> 00:00:19.000 how you can compost at UTD, and what you can and cannot compost. 00:00:19.000 --> 00:00:24.000 This video is part of a larger training module that includes a post-quiz 00:00:24.000 --> 00:00:27.000 to certify you to compost on campus. 00:00:27.000 --> 00:00:33.000 The information within is accurate as of March 2023, 00:00:33.000 --> 00:00:40.000 so if you're returning to this video, it does contain up-to-date locations of composting bins and liners on campus. 00:00:40.000 --> 00:00:46.000 The video should be less than ten minutes long, and not too intensive. 00:00:46.000 --> 00:00:49.000 So without further ado, let's get into it. 00:00:50.000 --> 00:00:54.500 Before we can start composting, we need to know what composting is. 00:00:54.500 --> 00:01:00.000 Composting is, briefly, the recycling of organic matter, 00:01:00.000 --> 00:01:05.000 like food waste, into fertilizer that is then used to enrich soil and plants. 00:01:05.000 --> 00:01:11.000 Composting is one of three general processes that makes use of organic waste. 00:01:11.000 --> 00:01:15.000 The other two are using it as food or feed for livestock, 00:01:15.000 --> 00:01:20.500 or turning it into a fuel source through processes like anaerobic digestion. 00:01:20.500 --> 00:01:28.000 Composting is nice because it produces soil that is pretty rich in nutrients and fairly easy to process. 00:01:28.000 --> 00:01:32.500 It also helps reduce food waste and landfill methane emissions, 00:01:32.500 --> 00:01:38.000 and helps conserve water by improving soil health and therefore soil water retention. 00:01:38.000 --> 00:01:45.000 Above all, composting is relatively easy to do and freely accessible at UTD. 00:01:45.000 --> 00:01:52.000 In order to start composting at UTD, you'll need to get involved with Comet Composting, 00:01:52.000 --> 00:01:54.000 our campus composting program. 00:01:54.000 --> 00:02:01.000 This program is headed by the Office of Sustainability at UTD in partnership with Turn Compost, 00:02:01.000 --> 00:02:04.000 who you'll hear more about in a little bit. 00:02:04.000 --> 00:02:09.000 Through these two organizations, it is completely free and accessible 00:02:09.000 --> 00:02:15.500 to any students living on campus to compost, as as well as any faculty or staff with departmental kitchens. 00:02:15.500 --> 00:02:19.500 All you need to do is complete this training module, 00:02:19.500 --> 00:02:24.000 and once you've successfully completed the post-quiz, you'll be able to get a composting caddy, 00:02:24.000 --> 00:02:29.000 just like the one you see on the right, and can start composting immediately. 00:02:29.000 --> 00:02:35.000 So to give a little bit more context on who Turn Compost is: 00:02:35.000 --> 00:02:38.000 They are a DFW-based environmental organization 00:02:38.000 --> 00:02:43.000 providing compost collection services to the wider community. 00:02:43.000 --> 00:02:48.000 They primarily help transport organic waste to industrial composting service partners, 00:02:48.000 --> 00:02:55.000 but they also produce soil supplements of their own, sell compostable and locally-sourced products, 00:02:55.000 --> 00:02:59.000 and help service the community through education and consulting. 00:02:59.000 --> 00:03:05.500 Composting on campus is fairly easy. Once you complete the training, 00:03:05.500 --> 00:03:10.000 you can come to the Office of Sustainability and check out a caddy. 00:03:10.000 --> 00:03:16.000 We'll also provide you with food waste liners for free that you can use to put inside of your caddy. 00:03:16.000 --> 00:03:22.000 You can then put any approved organic waste inside your liner, and as the liner fills 00:03:22.000 --> 00:03:24.000 -- or each week, just to be safe -- 00:03:24.000 --> 00:03:29.000 take it out of your caddy and dispose of it in the bins around campus. 00:03:29.000 --> 00:03:33.500 Each of these bins -- as you can see in the top right -- 00:03:33.500 --> 00:03:36.000 have the Turn logo on them and are locked. 00:03:36.000 --> 00:03:40.000 The combination for each of these bins will be "1969" 00:03:40.000 --> 00:03:47.000 so please make sure to lock the bin after you use it to prevent the compost from being contaminated 00:03:47.000 --> 00:03:51.000 by pollutants such as plastic, glass, or metal. 00:03:51.000 --> 00:03:57.500 After you dispose of your liner, you can pick up a new one at designated locations around campus, 00:03:57.500 --> 00:04:00.000 which I'll show you in a little bit. 00:04:00.000 --> 00:04:05.000 And just as a side note, if any of these outdoor liner dispensers are ever empty, 00:04:05.000 --> 00:04:08.500 you can always contact the Office of Sustainability 00:04:08.500 --> 00:04:12.000 and we'll get out there and refill them as soon as we can. 00:04:12.000 --> 00:04:15.500 Please make sure to service your caddy regularly. 00:04:15.500 --> 00:04:19.500 Make sure that you're disposing of your compost on a regular basis, 00:04:19.500 --> 00:04:25.500 and that you're cleaning out your caddy regularly, making sure that you only use it for organic waste. 00:04:25.500 --> 00:04:31.000 This will help prevent issues like smell or bugs, in the long run, before they even happen. 00:04:31.000 --> 00:04:37.000 Finally, when you leave UTD, please return your caddy to the Office of Sustainability 00:04:37.000 --> 00:04:43.000 so that a new student can start composting and help keep our program fully sustainable. 00:04:43.000 --> 00:04:49.000 This infographic shows you what you can and cannot compost at UTD. 00:04:49.000 --> 00:04:54.000 The things you can compost include your general food waste 00:04:54.000 --> 00:05:04.000 like raw fruit, veggie scraps, grains, wheat, coffee grounds, filters, tea bags, beans, nuts, and seeds. 00:05:04.000 --> 00:05:11.500 You can also compost paper products like shredded paper or food-soiled paper towels, 00:05:11.500 --> 00:05:16.000 as well as egg shells, leaves, flowers, and plant clippings, 00:05:16.000 --> 00:05:23.000 Thanks to Turn Compost partnering with large-scale industrial composting facilities 00:05:23.000 --> 00:05:30.000 that can operate at really high temperatures, we can also process meat, fish, bones, and dairy products 00:05:30.000 --> 00:05:33.000 -- those are good to compost as well. 00:05:33.000 --> 00:05:43.000 Things that you cannot compost include glass, metal and plastic products, high volumes of liquids, and pet waste. 00:05:43.000 --> 00:05:47.000 If you're ever unsure whether or not you can compost something, 00:05:47.000 --> 00:05:51.000 you can refer back to this graphic, which will be on the front of your caddy, 00:05:51.000 --> 00:05:54.500 or reach out to the Office of Sustainability. 00:05:54.500 --> 00:06:02.000 You can also reach out directly to Turn Compost if you'd like. You can see their contact information in the bottom right. 00:06:02.000 --> 00:06:05.000 Now for bin and liner locations. 00:06:05.000 --> 00:06:10.000 I know this slide is a little overwhelming, but I'll take you through it. 00:06:10.000 --> 00:06:14.500 Currently, we are operating 11 bins all around campus. 00:06:14.500 --> 00:06:19.500 As you can see on this map on the right, they're color-coded by location. 00:06:19.500 --> 00:06:23.000 Bins are mostly located in residential areas 00:06:23.000 --> 00:06:28.500 with the blue bins in University Village, green at Canyon Creek Heights, 00:06:28.500 --> 00:06:33.000 red at the residence halls, and orange at North Side. 00:06:33.000 --> 00:06:37.000 There are also two purple bins located on campus, 00:06:37.000 --> 00:06:40.500 so you can compost on campus too, if you'd like to. 00:06:40.500 --> 00:06:44.500 Remember that you are not limited to a specific bin. 00:06:44.500 --> 00:06:51.500 Once you start composting, you can find the bin that's closest to you, or has the easiest access, 00:06:51.500 --> 00:06:54.000 and dispose of your compost there. 00:06:54.000 --> 00:06:59.500 On the other side when you need new liners, you can find these at a number of locations, too. 00:06:59.500 --> 00:07:04.500 The outdoor dispensers we saw earlier are marked with orange stars, 00:07:04.500 --> 00:07:11.500 but you can also pick them up at the front desk of a couple of buildings on campus marked with green stars. 00:07:11.500 --> 00:07:18.000 And with that, you now have all the information you need to start composting on campus, 00:07:18.000 --> 00:07:21.000 so you're now free to take our post-quiz. 00:07:21.000 --> 00:07:27.000 Once you take that quiz and get the e-mail confirmation that you're ready to start composting, 00:07:27.000 --> 00:07:33.000 you can head up to our office in Facilities Management, near Northside, and pick up your own caddy. 00:07:33.000 --> 00:07:37.000 So with that, thank you so, so much. 00:07:37.000 --> 00:07:42.500 We recognize your commitment to creating a more sustainable campus and reducing food waste 00:07:42.500 --> 00:07:48.500 by completing this compost training, and we're so excited to work with you in the future. 00:07:48.500 --> 00:07:53.500 If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to reach out and contact us. 00:07:53.500 --> 00:07:55.500 We're here to be a resource for you. 00:07:55.500 --> 00:07:58.000 Thank you so much.