Chittenden Solid Waste District will stop accepting compostable foodware and packaging in its compost stream beginning Jan. 1, 2022, according to a Dec. 10 email from Elizabeth Palchak, director of the Office of Sustainability. 

CSWD will continue to accept food scraps and napkins, but found compostable packaging degrades compost and soil product quality and poses other operations issues, according to the email. 

“We at the Office of Sustainability understand how this decision impacts our community and have been working together to prepare our campus for this change and minimize its impact in the spring semester,” Palchak stated in the email. 

Materials accepted in the new year include food scraps, compostable or paper bags used for lining food scrap containers, coffee filters, paper tea bags, newspaper, paper towels, napkins and single-use wooden utensils, such as toothpicks or chopsticks, according to CSWD’s website. 

UVM Recycling and Zero Waste will redesign waste sorting spaces on campus to reflect these changes and UVM Dining will exchange existing compostable packaging offerings with recyclable alternatives where that switch is possible, according to the email. 

UVM Dining will also continue its EcoWare program and welcome reusable mugs at retail locations across campus, the email stated. 

For additional information on the CSWD changes, see CSWD’s FAQ page on the changes. Palchak’s email instructed any students seeking more information on the impact of these changes at UVM to contact [email protected].