Community Garden and Composting

UTA Compost Center Tour and Q&A with John Darling

Watch our Compost Center tour with our campus composter, John Darling, and see what goes into the composting process yourself.

Composting

When food decomposes in landfills, it generates methane, a greenhouse gas that is 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Composting food and other organic waste can reduce its climate impact while retaining vital nutrients for reuse in campus gardens and landscaping.

pre consumer composted food waste graph

UT Arlington’s award-winning composting program is not only practical and environmentally friendly but is an outstanding learning tool and model for others considering similar programs. The program annually composts 30 tons of food waste from on-campus dining services and off-campus coffee shops and hospitals as well as yard waste collected from campus ground crews. The University uses this compost as mulch and soil amendment on campus grounds and in the new community garden.

Picture shows the compost collected over time since June 2023

Post-Consumer Composting

The Post-consumer composting program at UTA, which began last June, expands on the success of the pre-consumer composting initiative. In this program, compostable waste from the cafeterias at the UC and Commons is meticulously separated by staff. The waste is then placed into designated carts, which are collected twice a week by Cowboy Compost, a local hauler. The collected waste is transported to a facility where it is transformed into compost, contributing to sustainability and waste reduction efforts on campus. Since June, we have diverted over 60,000lbs of compostable material away from the landfill.

Our post-consumer program won the STAR Texas Environmental Leadership Award for Innovative Organics. This recognition highlights the impact of UTA's commitment to environmental sustainability and sets a great example for other institutions.

Students emptying compost bin

Texas Environmental Leadership Awards

Composting Tips for Office Green Teams

Collect in a bucket or container that has a lid. Deliver to the compost site behind the Environmental Health & Safety Office at 500 Summit Avenue, Monday through Friday 8:00 am to 4:00 pm.

Community Garden

The organic Community Garden at UTA, built in collaboration with the City of Arlington has become a popular green space for families, community members, and garden enthusiasts.

The garden is located at 406 Summit Ave., just south of the Sweet Center at the corner of UTA Boulevard and Summit Avenue and is one of many projects on campus that demonstrate the University’s commitment to environmental stewardship and natural resource conservation. Connect with the Community Garden through the Facebook Page.

For inquiries, please contact Wendy.Pappas@arlingtontx.gov. Please note, there is currently a waiting list for Garden Spots.

Composting Program featured by: