Composting
In July 2007, the University purchased its own in-vessel Rocket composter. This composter, named Hamish, composts the fruit and vegetable waste from all of our catered halls of residence and University cafes, as well as green waste from the University Grounds. This compost is then used within the University Grounds.
Hamish composts around 5 tonnes of food waste annually.
To learn about how Hamish works, see here: Hamish process poster (PDF, 1,136 KB)
The new Fife Park Apartments were designed with built-in food waste bins in the kitchens as part of our commitment to sustainable design, see Sustainable Design Guide (PDF, 379 KB) Trials have been conducted here to assess if it is feasible to send self-catered student kitchen waste to Hamish; however, it is vital that he doesn’t receive anything other than raw fruit/veg scraps and contamination by other products has been a problem in the past.
To discuss composting options for your staff kitchen, contact your Environmental Facilitator or if you live in DRA, contact your residence manager.