Project Proposal Campus Composting

By: Green Office TU Delft

Date: 08-11-2017

Summary
The proposal is to install a composting facility next to the Campus Farm, in collaboration with
S&C. The goal of this installation is to demonstrate the potential of more sustainable and
decentralized handling of organic waste. The compost can be used as fertilizer for the farm,
creating synergy. Furthermore, a wider goal is to create awareness around the topic of waste
treatment and waste separation, amongst students and staff.
Introduction
Over 200 tons of organic kitchen and garden waste were produced on the TU Delft campus
in 20151. Organic waste is currently only separated at certain catering facilities on campus.
However, knowing that only a limited amount of facilities separate organic waste, this means
that the rest of the organic waste is still being treated as residual waste. The residual waste
is brought to a central waste treatment facility where it is incinerated.
A key characteristic of organic waste is that it can easily be managed on site. The
composting of the organic waste involves low effort and low cost. By treating the organic
waste in a decentralized manner, the residual waste volume can be reduced. This means
that less waste has to be transported to the waste treatment facility, and less waste has to be
incinerated. This leads to a reduction in emissions along the entire process. Furthermore, as
the output of the composting process can be used as an input for the gardens, a circular
process on campus will be implemented.
Motivation
The aim is to start with a pilot project, which will be further described below. This pilot project
will provide us with insights into decentralized waste separation processes on campus. In the
future the project could be expanded, either by upscaling the pilot project or by installing
multiple similar facilities throughout the campus. An end goal is to include and motivate all
student housing and catering facilities on campus to compost their organic waste.
This project is aligned with our future vision on waste separation. Dealing with the organic
waste on site, and using the end product as an input for on campus farming activities,
creates circularity on campus. The waste is used as an input for a new product, which will be
consumed on campus again, hence closing the loop.
Furthermore, by creating a decentralized waste treatment facility you create an awareness of
what it entails to treat the waste. People will become more conscious about the waste they
produce, and the processes used to manage their waste. On the long term this awareness
will facilitate more sustainable behavior on campus.

1Annual Report 2016 TU Delft, Retrieved from: https://issuu.com/tudelft-

mediasolutions/docs/jaarverslag_2016_engels_web

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Plan of action
The aim is to start off with a small facility located at the Campus Farm. This facility will serve
as a pilot project to test in practice how it is going to work, and learn from this. Questions that
can be answered are: How can we best motivate the user to separate his/her waste and
bring it to the facility? What is the best way to maintain the facility? If the project is successful
we can choose to either duplicate the project and implement similar projects elsewhere on
campus, or to expand the pilot project in its capacity.
At a first stage the aim is to address to students living in student buildings next to the garden,
and the garden community to collect and hand in their organic waste. This community is
already familiar with the campus garden and they live nearby.
At a later stage, agreements with the caterer at Sports and Culture can be made to collect
and hand in their organic waste. For now it is decided to not include them in the first pilot
project as they produce large amounts of waste, and if composting this amount the facility
might need to be larger then accounted for.
Location
The suggested location for the composting facility is to build it at the terrain of the Campus
Farm, next to Sports & Culture. Next to the fact that there is space available to build the
facility here, the presence and collaboration with S&C and the Campus farm is the main
motivation for this location. The Campus Farm is already established, and has proven to be a
project with a lot of interest from the student community. The compost that will be created in
this facility can be used as a fertilizer for the farm, which possibly will incentivize students to
participate in this. Depending on the interest of the farming community, the composting
project can be incorporated within their network.
The area around the Campus Farm will be redesigned by 2020. By this time, the composting
project will be out of its pilot phase and will have proven to be either successful or not. In the
new plans for the area there are already plans incorporated on building various recycling
centers/ waste treating facility. A larger composting facility would fit nicely into these plans.
The pilot project can serve as a way to test whether this can be a viable option in the future.
Installation of facility
The Green Office suggest contracting De Compostbakkers to assist in installing the facility
and provide training and guidance. De Compostbakkers is a non-profit organization which
installs community composting projects. They are funded and supported by Fonds 1818, a
philanthropic organization that funds social and cultural initiatives.. In this partnership, De
Compostbakkers have 24 successful composting sites in Zuid-Holland, including three in the
Delft area (at the Hof van Delftpark; Arboretum Heempark (Delftse Hout; and in Sionsweg).
Details on the service they offer can be found below. More information about De
Conpostbakkers can be found at
https://decompostbakkers.wordpress.com/buurtcomposteren/, and about Fonds 1818 at
http://www.fonds1818.nl/. A definite decision on this has to be made in accordance with S&C.
Service offered by De Compostbakkers:

• Pre-installation site inspection by De Compostbakkers to determine suitability of site

(site needs to be at least 5 meters from any water bodies such as ponds, canals etc.)

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 • Delivery and installation of composting bins (3x 1m 3 bins made of recycled plastic
• Additional material provided:
o flyers and information panel to inform users of acceptable/unacceptable waste
to place in bin
o membrane (to cover compost in bins 2 + 3, protecting it from the elements)
o poker to break up and mix compost
• Composting workshop for students and staff
o all information relating to how to manage the compost, motivation for and
benefits of composting etc
o In-depth lecture regarding chemistry and biological action, to those who are
interested
• Volunteer training
• Guidance before and after the opening of the composting site
Maintenance of the facility
Negotiations with S&C will be lead to a decision on a model of how to manage the
composting installation. Maintenance of the compost is quite minimal provided that users
obey the instructions regarding what can and cannot be thrown in the bin. Compost needs to
be broken up and turned with a spade approximately once a week, depending on how
heavily the bin is being used. Compost needs to be transferred between bins 1, 2 and 3
(each one is for a different phase in the decomposition process) approximately once every 2
months. Once compost is ready for use, it can be removed from the bin and used in the
campus garden or elsewhere if needed. The bins themselves are made of a durable recycled
plastic (with a 10-year guarantee) and need no maintenance.
Budget

• Service from De Compostbakkers (as described above): €200 all inclusive

• Maintenance costs: This depends on which agreements will be made for a
maintenance model, still needs to be decided

Timeline
When Goal
November 2017 Presentation of project proposal
December 2017 – January 2018 Alignment on project by Green Office and
Sports & Culture
February 2018 Build action plan for project
March 2018 Install composting facility
April 2018 Organize composting education event
Mei 2018 First reflections on project

Stakeholder Identification
▪ Delft Green Office (mostly students, but also staff)
▪ S&C
▪ The Campus Farm
▪ S&C
▪ De Compostbakkers (composting non-profit consultants)
▪ Local Caterers
▪ Local Residents

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 ▪ Students interested in becoming involved in the design or construction (if necessary)
▪ Project construction staff
▪ Maintenance staff
▪ Senior decision makers and approval
▪ Facilities Management
▪ The Green Village (have stated interest in the idea)
▪ Academic staff or other university employees that could learn from this pilot?

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