Compost the Cardinal Way

Sorting food scraps and other compostable material into compost bins is one of the easiest daily actions you can take to curb climate change. Together, the Stanford community diverts approximately 6,000 tons of compostable material away from the landfill every year—reducing emissions and building healthy soil.

Student placing a paper towel in a compost bin inside her dorm room. sustainability habits in their dorm room.

In Your Dorm

Don’t miss out on scoring a compost bin from your Housing Service Center. Supplies limited.

Claim Your Bin at Your Housing Service Center

Person throwing a compostable cup into a compost bin outside

Around Campus

Compost your food scraps and your to-go ware at compost bins near campus eateries.

Extended arm of a person with a banana peel in their hand sorting it into a compost bin.

In Your Building

Clean up lunch and take your food scraps to the kitchen compost bins.

Locate Your Closest Compost Bin

In the Dining Halls

Scrape your plate before returning your dishes.

Students reaching hands into a large pile of compost

Composting for Climate

Stanford’s compostable material is sent to an industrial facility in Milpitas, California. Over the course of 90-180 days, the material breaks down into compost, a nutrient-dense soil amendment, sold for use in gardens and on farms.

Compost provides nutrients back to the soil, improving plant growth, reducing the need for synthetic fertilizers, conserving water, and sequestering carbon.

Take a Virtual Tour of the Compost Facility