LMU Commits to In-Vessel Composting in 2024-25

Loyola Marymount University has committed to adopt in-vessel composting, the practice of composting materials within an enclosed environment, such as a drum, silo, bin, or other container. The goal is to have the infrastructure in place during the 2024-25 academic year, and expand it to residence halls and offices in 2025-26.

ASLMU President Drew Hartz and VP Josh Petteruti worked with Bill Stonecypher, manager of LMU Recycling and Waste, to bring in-vessel composting to LMU, an initiative that aligns with the environmental priorities of our institution and our student body, and ensure LMU's compliance with California Assembly Bill 1826, which requires businesses to recycle all organic waste. 

"To say that this is a huge deal would be an understatement," said Hartz. "By committing to in-vessel composting, LMU has fulfilled over a decade of student demands to close the loop and achieve a zero-waste campus. LMU will be at the forefront of green innovation, a model and pioneer for sustainability in higher education, and provide an opportunity for us all to be vectors for change as we seek to ignite a greener tomorrow."

In-vessel composting on campus will deliver many direct and indirect benefits to the local ecology and LMU's broader environmental footprint. Namely, this investment significantly reduces LMU's greenhouse gas emissions, synthetic fertilizer usage, and water consumption. 

With this investment, the university has committed to diverting all organic waste from dining facilities. Campus Dining will be a significant partner in the composting process on campus. Currently, Sodexo utilizes a pulper to process food waste by removing water waste and grinding food that is then placed into a dehydrator to help remove bacteria from the waste and create a dry material that is then ready for composting. With the implementation of an in-vessel composting machine, LMU Recycling will pick up the material and process it, cutting down on greenhouse gas emissions synthetic fertilizer usage, and water consumption.

In addition, this initiative aligns with the Strategic Plan Spotlight Initiative by modifying institutional structures to support interdisciplinary cooperation to build selected, mission-resonant areas of interdisciplinary excellence oriented toward solving the world's most challenging problems.

This initiative also addresses the charge from the Laudato Si' Action Plan to "boldly and actively respond to today's ecological crisis," specifically, to "respond to the cry of the earth" by relieving pressures on our global climate and local ecology, to create a model that peer institutions will use, to foster ecological awareness and environmental stewardship, and to cultivate communal action on campus and in our local community. 

The initiative will provide unique opportunities for faculty and student researchers to further advance understanding and insight into organic waste decomposition, soil additives, and sustainable campus practices.

"It is a profound moment that marks the collaboration of many across campus, a credit to those who were here years before us, and a calling for us all in the years ahead," said Hartz. "Each of us will be called upon to be stewards for creating that better world we wish to live in and that is a prospect I can't help but get excited about."

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