History
Scripps launched its community composting program in Spring 2023. Through the efforts of students, the program began through a partnership with Huerta del Valle, which processed food scraps from the Scripps dining hall. When Huerta del Valle ended its participation in November 2023, Integrative Development Initiative (IDI), a Pomona-based nonprofit specializing in community composting and ecological farm development, stepped in to maintain and strengthen the program. Since then, Scripps and IDI have collaborated to build a more efficient, educational, and community-centered composting system.
Community Composting
Community composting is the practice of collecting organic materials from local sources and bringing them to nearby farms and gardens to be turned into compost. Its core purpose is to strengthen community health by keeping resources local. Unlike large industrial composting systems that often prioritize profit, community composting produces direct benefits for our campus community, both through high-quality compost and the fresh produce grown from it.
At Scripps College, the community composting process is straightforward. Dining hall staff and students collect and decontaminate food scraps in designated bins. The IDI team then transports these scraps to local community farms, where they are transformed into nutrient-rich compost. Once ready, the finished compost is used to revitalize empty lots for new farms and to enrich soil at partner farms and gardens, ultimately supporting food production for nearby communities.
Why prioritize community composting? The benefits are wide-ranging. For communities, it can increase green space, improve access to healthy foods, create service and learning opportunities, beautify neighborhoods, provide gathering spaces, and foster community connection. Environmentally, community composting supports cleaner air and water, healthier soil, and more resilient plant and animal life. From a social and environmental justice perspective, it also challenges harmful industrial waste systems that disproportionately impact low-income and historically marginalized communities, and instead promotes practices that are equitable and community-centered.
Impact of Scripps’ Compost Program
IDI has supported Scripps College in tracking the impact of its Composting Program since the start of the program. During the 2024–2025 school year, the program diverted 98,004 pounds of food scraps from the waste stream. This amount of composted material is equivalent to the carbon sequestered by 676 newly planted trees over their first ten years, or by more than 50 acres of North American forests in a single year.
These composting efforts generated a wide range of positive outcomes. Institutionally, the Scripps Composting Program serves as a model for how large organizations and governments can adopt more environmentally and socially responsible approaches to food systems and community wellbeing. Its success has also contributed to thriving programs at Pitzer and Pomona, sparked new interest at Harvey Mudd, and expanded on-campus composting initiatives at Pomona.
The social impacts are equally significant. Community composting has supported the growth of local food production and green spaces, contributed to the creation of two new farms, and enabled new collaborative programs, such as worker support initiatives and providing fresh produce for dining, facilities, and housekeeping staff.
Where Do Our Food Scraps Go?
Today, IDI manages Scripps’ Food Scrap pickups and coordinates where the material is processed.
Food scraps collected from Scripps currently go to:
- Monday: Lyle Center for Regenerative Studies (CalPoly Pomona)
- Wednesday: Blackbird Ranch (South Ontario)
- Friday: SGV Conservation Corps Farm (Irwindale)
How Often is Food Waste Picked Up?
Food scraps are collected three times a week: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings. If there’s a larger amount than usual, IDI may schedule an extra pickup. The schedule is flexible, but generally follows this M/W/F rhythm.
Dorm Compost is picked up at least 2x a week by our compost team.
What Can We Compost?
Compostable Materials:
- Food scraps
- Coffee grounds
- Soiled paper (like greasy napkins or 100% paper or paperboard with food residue)
- Wooden food service ware (such as wooden chopsticks, birch or bamboo utensils)
- Woodchips (to balance moisture and control smell)
Non-Compostable Materials:
- Clean or glossy paper (recycle me!)
- Plastic, glass, or metal (recycle me!)
- Ink-heavy or coated paper (recycle me!)
- Most commercially marketed compostable items (these are made often with either bioplastics, which don’t incorporate into the environment when composted or harmful chemicals that repel water or grease, and continue to do so when they are composted)
Compost Team (Spring 2026)
Our composting team is made up of dedicated Scripps students who manage collection routes, coordinate with IDI, and help improve the system each semester.
Compost Team:
- Kelly McKenzie (‘28)
- Greta Mastro (‘28)
- Miwa Waterman (‘28)
- Junee Manandhar (‘27)
- Salma Mohamed (‘29)
- Eunice Concha (‘29)
Supported by:
- Elinor Crescenzi, Compost Advisor, Integrative Development Initiative
- Scripps Office of Sustainability
How to Get Involved
Interested in joining the composting team or volunteering? You can:
- Follow the Instagram @sustainabilityatscripps to keep an eye out for open positions & volunteer opportunities
- Reach out to the Office of Sustainability with questions or if your CLORG or event has composting needs