Volvo, Wilson Form Unique Partnership with Goal of Reducing Landfill Waste

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  |  Nov. 10, 2015

Chambersburg, Pa. — Wilson College and Volvo Construction Equipment in Shippensburg have created a partnership in which Volvo will send pre-kitchen waste from its cafeteria to Wilson to be composted and reused on the college’s organic farm.

The partnership, aimed at reducing the amount of waste going into landfills, is believed to be the first of its type in Pennsylvania. It was announced today at Wilson’s Fulton Farm by officials from Volvo and the college, which share a philosophy of promoting environmental sustainability.

The partnership is part of Volvo’s initiative to become a zero-landfill facility, according to Mary Reid, an environmental consultant for Volvo’s Shippensburg operation, which employs nearly 1,000 people. “It’s a core value for us,” Reid said. “When we looked around for composting options and realized we could partner with a local college and make a contribution to the community, it just was the right path to take.”

Wilson recently obtained a general permit for on-farm composting from DEP’s Bureau of Waste Management Division of Municipal and Residual Waste. The college has been collecting food scraps from its dining hall and composting them for use on its USDA-certified organic farm for more than 10 years, but the new permit was required to allow it to accept food waste from an outside entity, said Jeff Olsen, solid waste program specialist with DEP.

“I think you could say this is a first in Pennsylvania that a college has actually gotten a general permit for on-farm composting for a partnership with an industry,” Olsen said.

Wilson’s permit allows it to produce up to 13 tons of compost per year, according to Chris Mayer, director of the college’s Fulton Center for Sustainable Living. She estimates that with pre-kitchen and cooked food scraps from the college dining hall and Volvo’s pre-kitchen waste and coffee grounds, approximately 7.8 tons of compost will be produced annually.

“You have about a 75 percent reduction in volume after the material is composted,” said Mayer.

Mayer said the Volvo/Wilson partnership is beneficial in many ways, including in terms of supplementing the compost produced for the college farm. “We need the compost to increase organic matter to address soil fertility (on the farm),” she said. “Before this we were buying additional compost, so we will see a cost savings.”

In addition, the partnership will help keep methane and carbon produced by decaying materials out of the atmosphere while keeping it out of landfills, which have limited capacities. “It’s just the right thing to do,” Mayer said.

Prior to accepting Volvo’s pre-kitchen food waste, Wilson regraded its composting area at Fulton Farm to address water runoff concerns. In addition to paying for the regrading, Volvo has agreed to provide a $1,000 grant each semester to a Wilson student who will help tend to the farm’s compost area. This year, the grant recipient is junior Danniele Fulmer, who also works as an intern in Volvo’s safety and environment department.

The college began accepting Volvo’s pre-cooked food scraps and coffee grounds on Oct. 9, according to Fulmer. She said she checks and records the temperature of composting piles in various stages of decomposition three days a week to make sure the waste is breaking down properly. If it’s not the correct temperature, the pile is turned.

The Shippensburg Volvo plant manufactures soil and asphalt compactors, pavers, screeds and wheel-loaders.

MEDIA CONTACT:           
Cathy Mentzer, Manager of Media Relations
Phone: 717-262-2604
Email: cathy.mentzer@wilson.edu

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Founded in 1869, Wilson College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college offering bachelor’s degrees in 29 majors and master’s degrees in education, the humanities, accountancy, nursing, fine arts and healthcare management for sustainability. Wilson is committed to providing an affordable education that offers value to its students beyond graduation.

Located in Chambersburg, Pa., the college has a fall 2015 enrollment of 923, which includes students from 22 states and 16 countries. Visit www.wilson.edu for more information.