CompostMates at Carolina primarily serves to expand access to composting among off-campus UNC-CH students who lack the ability to donate or maintain their own compost. In doing so, CompostMates achieves lower methane gas production in landfills through the diversion of organic waste. CompostMates facilitates this mission through a free pick-up service of food scraps.
CompostMates secondarily serves to instill sustainable and environmentally-conscious practices into its members, volunteers, and broader community. Additionally, CompostMates supports local organizations, including community gardens, with their missions through advocacy, publicity, and food scrap donations.
Since we started our pickup service in Spring 2021, we have diverted over 8,300 pounds of food waste from going into landfills. That’s the carbon dioxide equivalent of powering one household’s electricity for 1.75 years! This is important because carbon dioxide and methane are greenhouse gasses, which when emitted in large amounts into the atmosphere, can cause irreversible damage to global climate patterns.
For additional information please follow our Instagram!
Co-Directors
Sara Vandersip
saraev03@email.unc.edu
Simone McFarlane
simonen@live.unc.edu
Committee Email
unccompostmates@gmail.com