This was a project to test the feasibility and mechanics of large-scale composting of our organic waste at Rice University.

A detailed description of the project is also available.

History of the Earth Tub

Jones Residential College was the pilot site (due to close proximity of high yard waste areas). Rice bought one Earth Tub from GMT. During the Fall '98 semester, the students of Jones began separating their food waste in the food service area and we started sampling the volume and weight of this waste (results), along with the sorting accuracy. The Earth Tub arrived on Jan 4, 1999 and was moved to Jones College to begin installation. Installation completed on 1-21-99, the tub was filled 2/3 full of leaves and we started to add food (and degradable bags) on 1-25-99. The bags wrapped around the auger, hindering its effectiveness, so they are now excluded.

The Earth Tub was moved to Sid Richardson College in 2003.

For further information:

• Proposal from the class BAKE 302: Understanding Environmental Systems
• Pilot Project Detailed Description
• Composting FAQ page--questions about our equipment and operations
• The Composting Equipment Page from GMT
• The Earth Tub Page from Bioresource Management
• Comparison of other Universities' Composting programs
• Texas State Regulations for Composting from TNRCC
• Composting Links on the Internet
• Earth Tub Troubleshooting

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