As a part of a wider push toward sustainability, Washington and Lee has put up compost bins outside of Graham-Lees and Wood’s Creek.
These new bins are a part of a pilot program that aims to reduce the amount of compostable waste that is thrown in the trash at the two residences. Where stacks of to-go containers once overflowed in hall trash cans, compost bins will now collect food scraps and repurpose them into soil that can be used across campus.
Washington and Lee is the only school in Virginia with an industrial composter, which allows the school to compost waste from many of its dining venues and invest in compostable take out containers, according to Bella Ferrate, ’26, a member of the Compost Crew.
Shae Reinburg, ’25, the president of the Student Environmental Action League (SEAL), knows that while the school is investing in more sustainable options for students, it can still be challenging for many to compost.
“I even find myself having to walk very far just to compost something,” Reinburg said, “And I understand not being willing to walk so far with all your trash just so you can compost it.”
Most of the waste that is composted at Washington and Lee is managed by the Compost Crew. The Compost Crew, which is an organization made up of paid students, collects compost at the end of the night from many venues including Third Year Dining, the Marketplace and Brief Stop.
Sion Jang, ’24, a member of the Compost Crew, estimates that the group collects around 10,000 pounds of composting each month. There are about 20 members of the Compost Crew and they, along with two part time employees, make sure that food waste gets to the university’s composter in Back Campus.
According to Jane Stewart, the Director of Sustainability for Washington and Lee, there used to be compost containers at both of the freshman residences, Gaines and Graham-Lee’s, during the 2020-2021 academic school year. Despite the fact that the compost bins made it very convenient for freshmen to compost, Stewart said, they were removed because of a myriad of problems including leaks and smells.
However, Jang shared that this school year, Gibson Ward, ’27, spearheaded efforts to get compost bins back at first year housing. Now there are compost receptacles located with the dumpsters behind Graham-Lees.
Many are hopeful that the bins will encourage students to compost more.
“I think [composting] will increase… I think it’s one of the many small steps to take to reduce waste,” Reinburg said.
Other student housing locations have already adopted composting programs. Hadley Foulk, ’25, a member of the Kappa Alpha Theta Sorority and SEAL, spearheaded efforts to get compost bins at all of the six sorority residences this semester. According to Foulk, reception to the new composting receptacles at sorority housing was more positive than she expected, and she is hopeful that the composting program will continue.
Stewart said a number of students are also championing efforts to set up composting at individual theme houses and fraternity houses.
Besides composting, the Office of Sustainability organizes many efforts to make Washington and Lee more environmentally friendly. The Office of Sustainability does its work with only four full-time staff members.
“We cover a broad range of initiatives and activities,” Stewart said. “That includes a huge range of things from working on the university’s climate action plan…to putting on programs to help students engage with sustainability.”
In September, the university purchased a large solar farm in North Carolina in order to reduce its energy costs and make its electricity greener. This adds to other solar panel sites on campus, including those on top of the parking deck and on the roof of Leyburn Library, according to Ferrate.
All of the initiatives are a part of the university’s Climate Action Plan, which has the goal of making Washington and Lee carbon neutral by 2050. Even though many of these initiatives are behind the scenes, like the solar farm in North Carolina, Stewart said some of the Office of Sustainability’s efforts can be seen and even touched, such as the Campus Garden.
“It’s really amazing because the soil that is made through your compost is used in our garden which is used to grow food,” Jang said. “Not only is it amazing to see life happening, but also to know that the food that we are given to eat is… a part of the sustainability effort.”
