From energy efficiency efforts to reducing single-use devices to reduce waste, environmental sustainability takes on many forms within large health systems. And one program that is making a significant difference in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and waste is Michigan Medicine’s composting initiative.
Since the program’s inception in 2016, Michigan Medicine facilities have diverted more than 800 tons of food waste from landfills, thus reducing the amount of harmful greenhouse gas being emitted into the atmosphere.
When organic material, such as food waste, ends up in landfills, it generates methane, a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change by trapping heat in the earth’s atmosphere at a much higher rate than basic carbon dioxide. Some landfills capture or burn off the methane, but much of it still escapes.
Composting uses oxygen and microorganisms to break down the organic material naturally, while producing a nutrient-rich, soil-like material and much fewer greenhouse gases.
“This is both a waste-reduction strategy and a greenhouse gas reduction strategy,” said Chip Amoe, U-M Health’s sustainability officer. “By keeping organic waste out of landfills, we’re preventing those emissions from being generated in the first place.”
Composting is part of Michigan Medicine’s broader sustainability program, which focuses on five key priorities: to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, eliminate chemicals of concern, minimize waste to landfills, increase the purchase of local and sustainable food, and build healthy, resilient communities.
Evolution of the program
Christopher Victory, senior sustainability consultant at U-M Health, said when the composting program started in February 2016, it collected pre-consumer food scraps generated by the Patient Food and Nutrition Services (PFANS) for just C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital and Von Voigtlander Women’s Hospital.
Since then, the program has hit additional milestones:
- 2018: Pre-consumer composting extended to the patient food kitchen at University Hospital.
- 2019: Composting expanded to retail kitchens, such as hospital cafeterias used by staff and visitors.
- 2020: Post-consumer composting began, allowing for leftover food from patient trays to be collected and diverted within PFANS Kitchens.
Eventually, the program evolved to include post-consumer food waste as well as other facilities and locations, including UM Health-Sparrow and UM Health-West.
Michigan Medicine also coordinates its composting efforts with the broader university operations, which has its own food waste collection program. For example, in shared buildings where both campus and health system functions are located, the two programs collaborate on collection services.
“A large percentage of hospital waste and residential waste is food waste,” Victory said. “We encourage composting to divert that waste from landfills. Instead, it goes to a compost facility and is broken down into soil that can be reused and repurposed.”
U-M Health continues to expand its food waste diversion efforts. Last year, the system started a pilot program using an aerobic biodigester.
“It’s a machine that you fill with food scraps,” Victory said. “It rotates and the combination of air and microorganisms added to the machine breaks down the food waste into a liquid that can be discharged safely into the sanitary drain.”
Composting at home
The principles behind large-scale composting at places like U-M Health are similar to those used by home gardeners. Amoe, an enthusiastic home-composter, said the practice can be simple and accessible for most households.
One of the easiest options is a compost tumbler, a sealed container that allows people to rotate organic material to accelerate decomposition. Because the container is closed and elevated, it helps prevent odors and keep animals away.
Another popular approach is in-ground composting, which involves burying a container with small holes that allow worms and microorganisms to break down food scraps. Even a five-gallon bucket with drilled holes can serve as an effective composting system.
For those with limited outdoor space, such as renters, countertop appliances can break down food waste indoors. In addition, some communities offer curbside or subscription compost collection services.
A simple web or YouTube search can reveal options and many local environmental organizations offer classes.
Regardless of the method used, Amoe said beginners in composting should start small and see how it works.
“Focus on easy materials first. Items like vegetable scraps, fruit peels, coffee grounds and eggshells,” he said. “You’d be amazed at how much waste you can divert and how quickly food waste breaks down through composting.”
Small effort, big impact
Even small composting efforts can make a big difference. Food waste usually accounts for about one-fifth of household waste. Composting not only diverts that waste from landfills but also produces a nutrient-rich soil amendment that improves plant health, helps retain moisture and reduces the need for chemical fertilizer.
In addition, Amoe said a family of four that composted its food waste could have the same environmental impact as turning off between 15 and 30 incandescent lightbulbs for an entire year, or driving 750 to 1,700 fewer miles in a gas-powered car.
For large organizations like Michigan Medicine, composting represents just one piece of a broader sustainability strategy to reduce waste, cut greenhouse gas emissions and turn organic waste material into a valuable resource.
