Eighty-six off-campus UVM students are receiving free compost pickup services from No Waste Compost L3C, said sophomore Mahder Teferra, chair of the SGA Committee on the Environment.

The SGA Committee on the Environment established a $5,000 deal with No Waste Compost for compost pickup, bucket cleaning and bag linings every other week for the duration of the fall semester starting Sept. 1, said Jericho King, general manager at the company.

“Obviously, composting is something simple that we all can do for the environment,” Teferra said. “But when living off campus, especially, there’s a cost attached to it that many college students can’t afford.” 

The COE obtained funding from the Office of the Provost for 86 student pickups and is focused on acquiring more so additional students can get access to the service, Teferra said. 

“We believe that by doing this, we’re enabling students who want to compost to be able to compost without extra cost to them,” she said.

Students who partake in the composting program feel empowered with the sense that they are part of a collective effort to lead more sustainable lives, Teferra said.

“I think a lot of students will start to think about other ways they can help the environment, such as maybe joining clubs that help the environment, coming to our open forum on [the] Senate and speaking to the committee on environment in other ways,” she said. 

The partnership had been in motion before Teferra’s election and was officially approved last spring, Teferra said. She also expressed hopes to continue working with No Waste Compost with the possibility of expanding the partnership in the future.

Once SGA is back in session, the COE will discuss how it can acquire additional funding to expand the partnership for future semesters, Teferra said.

No Waste Compost is also interested in expanding the partnership, King said. 

“It’s something that our company would be on board with, continuing this partnership,” King said. “I think it’s going to go great.”

The 86 students served through the partnership will receive pickups along with cleaning and lining for their waste buckets every other week, King said. 

Students were able to sign up for the service using a form the Office of Student and Community Relations emailed Aug. 29.

Sophomore Senator Annie Boudreau and SGA alums Jake Gess ‘22 and Cyrus Oswald ‘22 reached out to King in April 2021, King said. These students, along with Bethany Wolfe, SGA business manager, who oversaw the meeting, landed the $5,000 funding allocation from the Office of the Provost.

These sorts of community-based partnerships are what No Waste Compost was created for, and they were thrilled to be approached by SGA, King said. 

“This is definitely a step in the right direction for us as a community partner company,” King said.