Bentley University Talks Compost, Not Trash

WALTHAM (March 18, 2015). Starting last semester, Bentley University began a new composting process to give its food waste a new life. With a population of nearly 5,700 undergraduate and graduate students, Bentley University’s Office of Sustainability and dining service team are continually collaborating on sustainable strategies to reduce waste and provide more local food options in Bentley’s dining locations.

Sodexo staff in all of Bentley’s campus kitchens separate pre-consumer compost. In other words, all food scraps from the food preparation process are disposed of in compost bins rather than in the trash. In addition, in Seasons, the campus’ main dining hall, Bentley’s kitchen staff separates post-consumer compost. Rather than students separating their own trash from food scraps, kitchen workers separate what students leave on their plate.

“Bentley University has made significant progress since the new compost process rollout,” comments Amanda King, the university’s Director of Sustainability and Special Advisor to the President. “We are committed to waste reduction and responsible waste disposal—and we’re looking for the support of our entire community in making continuous sustainable strides.”

Since this past fall, Bentley’s dining team has composted nearly 84 tons of food waste—an amount equivalent to the weight of 42 cars. Bentley’s Office of Sustainability aspires to one day implement front-of-the-house composting, where students, faculty, and staff voluntarily make the sustainable decision to sort their own waste between compost, recycling, and trash bins.

About Bentley University:

Bentley University is one of the nation’s leading business schools, dedicated to preparing a new kind of business leader – one with the deep technical skills, broad global perspective, and high ethical standards required to make a difference in an ever-changing world. Our rich, diverse arts and sciences program, combined with an advanced business curriculum, prepares informed professionals who make an impact in their chosen fields. Located on a classic New England campus minutes from Boston, Bentley is a dynamic community of leaders, scholars and creative thinkers. The Graduate School emphasizes the impact of technology on business practice, in offerings that include MBA and Master of Science programs, PhD programs in accountancy and in business, and customized executive education programs. The university enrolls approximately 4,100 full-time undergraduate, 140 adult part-time undergraduate, 1,430 graduate, and 43 doctoral students. Bentley is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges; AACSB International – The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business; and the European Quality Improvement System, which benchmarks quality in management and business education. For more information, please visit www.bentley.edu.

Media Contact:

Natalie Berland, 781-891-2295, nberland@bentley.edu