I'm sure that you've heard more than your fair share about how important it is to compost. Now more than ever in our ecologically focused society, recycling, green living and energy conservation are being integrated into everything from social media outlets to school activities to municipal, provincial and even national initiatives. But there is something else that gets talked about just as often yet somehow manages to fall completely under the radar: composting.

For some reason, composting seems to be the one element of environmentally friendly living that no one can be bothered to do. Simply put, it's because composting is not fun.

A large portion of waste that students on campus throw into garbage cans can actually be composted rather than trashed, but around Fanshawe the available compost bins are seldom used to their full potential.

What To Compost
A good jumping-off point to get more students interested in composting more often is making sure that you understand how and what to compost. At various points around campus, mostly near food service areas, you will notice large, grey bins with lids marked for composting. This is the easy part — you just open the lid and put your compostable waste it in!

Compostable items include: Cardboard pizza slice containers from Pizza Pizza, wax paper that has been wrapped around a sandwich, the fry containers from Coyote Jacks, the coffee and soup cups from Olive Oyle's and any paper products that have food waste on them.

Have Fun With Composting
Now that you know how to compost and what you're able to compost, it's time for the good stuff; the fun that is composting. Now, just bear with me here, some of these ideas may sound a little cheesy or childish, but let's be honest, we all have to start somewhere.

A great way to make composting fun can be to get a group of friends involved and make it a competition. Keep track of every time you compost for a week and at the end figure out who composted most of their garbage. Loser buys the first round of drinks that night.

Not into having compost wars with your friends? That's cool. Try doing it for yourself. It's nearly the end of the semester and your wallet is no doubt feeling the pinch, so if you're really pining after that brand new bathing suit for the summer and your remaining funds are being rationed, make yourself a deal. Compost every day for the next two weeks and then reward yourself with a shopping trip.

If neither of these ideas sound appealing to you, try a different approach. Instead of thinking “I'm a cool kid and it will ruin my image if I'm seen caring about composting,” just have a conversation with your friends and simply start doing it. If one person in your inner circle starts composting, then it won't be long before the rest of the group follows suit and it will become the new norm.

So go out there, find those compost bins, open them up and throw your non-garbage waste right on in!

What goes where?

Compost
Pizza Pizza cardboard slice holder
Soiled wax paper (the kind your sandwich comes wrapped in)
Clamshell container from B Cafeteria
Coyote Jacks fry cup
Paper products soiled with food waste
Olive Oyle's coffee cups and soup bowls

Paper Recycling
Mr. Sub bags
Newspapers, magazines
Paper (obviously)

Tim Hortons Recycling Bins
Tim Hortons cups (NO LIDS)

Plastic Recycling
1 and 2 plastics (you can recycle 1 through 7 at home)
Water bottles
Pop bottles
Juice bottles

Garbage
Clamshell containers from Oasis
Dip cups
Cups, lids and straws
Plastic spoons, forks and knives
Tim Hortons lids