O-Hill is going to start composting their food waste, Aaron Lee wrote in the Daily Progress yesterday. They account for half of the food served at the university, sending 5,000 pounds of food to be composted into soil, rather than to sit in the anaerobic environment of a dump, where food generally can’t biodegrade. Steve Murray’s Earlysville-based Panorama Pay-Dirt will be hauling it off beginning Tuesday.
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Police announced this afternoon that their investigation into what was initially believed to be a fatal fire on Rugby Avenue is now a homicide investigation. #
The Virginia Supreme Court has denied George Huguely’s appeal. His second-degree murder conviction will stand, WRIC reports. #
In a carefully worded story, and not citing specific sources, WTVR reports that forensic evidence belonging to Jesse Matthew Jr., the main suspect in the disappearance of Hannah Graham, matches forensic evidence collected during the investigation of Morgan Harrington’s 2009 murder. #
In the wake of Hannah Graham’s disappearance, and the evidence that came from private security footage, city officials are revisiting the question of installing security cameras on the downtown mall. #
Both Charlottesville Registrar Sheri Iachetta and former Electoral Board member Stephanie Commander have turned themselves in to the police on
foursix and four felony counts of embezzlement, respectively. #Ten years ago, the National Institutes of Health budget doubled and schools like the University of Virginia built massive new research facilities. A decade later, those buildings remain largely underutilized. NPR visits UVA in this story on the effect of federal binge and spurge spending in the sciences. #
In 2012, Council approved a new student housing complex on West Main—now some council members are questioning whether what they were shown matches what was built. #
The Architectural Review Board has approved a bike-themed mural on West Market, below the McGuffey Art Center, although at least one member expressed concerns that it might look like the bicyclists were riding away from Charlottesville’s downtown. #
City Police Chief Tim Longo is meeting with city leaders to work on protocols regarding the use of military surplus police weapons in Charlottesville. #
A 100-year-old Colonnades resident received military honors for her service in the WWII Women’s Army Corps #
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“rather than to sit in the anaerobic environment of a dump, where food generally can’t biodegrade”
Uhhhh… no.
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/hac/landfill/html/ch2.html
I’m not saying this is a bad idea. It saves the university money and profits a local business. I’m just saying that you totally pulled that statement out of your ass. Then again, I suppose that’s what the internets are for.
Not hardly:
This is a topic that I’m pretty familiar with.
Lars,
What is the relevant information from the link you provided? I read through it but I don’t see how it addresses the fact of food waste not biodegrading effectively in a dump.
This is a terrific move for the University and I hope it helps begin a significant move to compost food waste in Charlottesville generally.
Waldo: Fun facts about fungi? Are you kidding me? Completely unsourced information? Does this mean I can start quoting timecube?
Credibility aside, how about relevance? Do UVA students eat newspaper?
Newspaper is made from raw pulp which contains high concentrations of lignin polymers which degrade more slowly than the more cellulose based high-grade paper. Synthetic inks also act to preserve the paper and obviously improve readability.
The (unsupported) statement that up to one half of “other” organic materials is decomposed after 20 years clearly states that food CAN AND DOES biodegrade. You said it GENERALLY CANT. Not that it generally takes longer than you’d like.
These figures mean nothing anyway as it depends on the landfill conditions. You cant compare a 100 year old landfill with zero technology to a modern high-tech landfill. Modern landfills generate enormous amounts of electricity. SOMETHING is decomposing in there and producing copious amounts of methane which can ONLY be produced by anaerobic decomposition.
You can be familiar with it and still be wrong. Its reverse ad-hominem. Patrick Michaels, state climatologist at UVA, is a global warming skeptic… so I guess that makes him right? He is quite familiar with the subject.
Chris: The relevant information from the link is stages II III and IV of the four phases of decomposition. All of these phases are anaerobic.
Lars, there are oodles of resources that say the same thing, from the DOE
to Environmental Magazine:
Now, yes, there are circumstances under which biodegradation can occur in an anaerobic environment, and it’s true that there are newer landfills are being designed to promote the flow of oxygen to facilitate biodegradation, and it’s also true that, eventually, everything in that dump will biodegrade, in the sense that aluminum cans, battleships, and oil drums will disappear if you let them sit long enough. But I think it’s fair to say that, in fact, the organic material being generated by O-Hill will biodegrade far more quickly if composted rather than left in a dump.
Warning: Rant alert…
Congratulations to the University for making this small step to turn waste into a resource. Surely turning the 5000 lbs of uneaten food per day to compost is an improvement.(I wonder how much waste per student per day , and if there is any way to reduce this figure? Yes we can!)I’d like to see the U do much more to become a leader in the quest for sustainability/carbon neutrality – maybe use the food as animal feed ,then generate methane with the animal waste , then use the manure for compost. Promote the local food movement. More research , development, and usage of alternative vehicles and technologies..