One of the exciting things that the Peer and Graduate Mentors have implemented is a compost collection site in our office.  A handful of us Mentors realized the ridiculous amount of food waste that was filling our garbage can, so we decided to implement a plan to divert compost-able waste from the landfill.   

Next to our garbage can sits a small five-gallon bucket that collects our compost items, which we line with biodegradable bags to help keep any bacteria growth to a minimum.  Our bucket is emptied every Friday, as it usually fills by that point, and, before putting a new liner in, we wipe the bucket out with some disposable bleach wipes (we know, not the most sustainable!).  In order to publicize our project, we've sent a couple emails to our department list-serv that link to various sites which introduce people to how composting works, along with a couple follow-up emails to remind people that our little compost bin is really hungry and wants their food.  Finally, we put a giant, yellow arrow sign (that reads "COMPOST!") on top of the garbage, pointing people to our compost bin and functioning as our last ditch effort to remind everyone to act sustainably.  

Our endeavor has shown two promising results:  First, with food waste going into our compost collection site, our garbage can is considerably less full at the end of the day.  And second, that those people who were initially resistant to our plan are now contributing their own food waste, while the noxious smells they predicted have never arrived.

We plan to continue this project next year, while also implementing some new ideas to promote sustainability in other areas of our lives.