Project to compost paper towels in Haggard Hall starts now

As part of the Green Energy Fee Program from the Office of Sustainability at Western Washington University, a six-month pilot project to compost paper towels used in the first and second floors of Haggard Hall begins winter quarter.

The main goal of the project is to reduce the use and subsequent waste of paper towels on campus. Composting can play a significant role in that by decreasing the amount of waste that the Western campus sends to landfills. According to the Associated Students Recycle Center, which conducts regular audits of campus trash and recycling, 72 percent of Western's waste is already recycled, and the majority of the remaining portion is compostable.

In addition to the placing of additional compost bins in Haggard Hall, the pilot project will increase the number of informational signs around composting and trash bins, encouraging students, faculty and staff to better sort their waste and decrease the amount sent to landfills.

Project organizers will be blogging about their progress this quarter, posting statistics, information, videos and updated results.

The Green Energy Fee Program is a collaborative effort of the Associated Students, Facilities Management, Facilities Design & Construction Administration, and the Office of Sustainability. The program is funded by students and managed by the Office of Sustainability. Projects approved for funding through the program are built by Facilities Management and Facilities Design & Construction Administration.