Waste from leftover food collected in UF’s Alpha Chi Omega chapter house’s kitchen could soon be composted.
Gainesville Compost would use its bike-powered transportation fleet to pick up the waste weekly, owner Chris Cano said. He said the partnership has not been finalized, but it should be in the next few weeks.
“It would be our first sorority partner, but we are always open to new connections,” he said.
The house would receive a five-gallon bin to collect raw food scraps with instructions on what could be composted. Gainesville Compost would use the waste to use as soil for local gardens instead of having it go to a landfill.
Carley Anderson, an intern at Gainesville Compost, forged the relationship as part of a group project for a UF course. Anderson, a 20-year-old UF sustainability studies junior, said the project centered on community and behavior change using sustainable methods. Two Alpha Chi Omega sisters in the group thought it would be a good idea to start in UF’s Greek community, Anderson said.
“I’m excited to have one sorority jump on board,” she said. “It’s nice to have them interested and starting a green initiative.”
Somi Aggarwal, an Alpha Chi Omega sister and group member in the project, helped facilitate the partnership. The 20-year-old UF psychology junior said the house already donates leftover food and scraps to local farmers.
“We would just like to do more, and we think it would be a good partnership,” she said.
Contact Alexa Volland at avolland@alligator.org.
