Photo by Katya Mendoza. Read the Tucson Weekly article by Katya Mendoza here.
The UA’s Office of Sustainability Compost Cats invites the public to help combat food waste this holiday season and join its Bucket Program.
Each year, millions of tons of waste enter Tucson’s landfills. About 40% of that waste is compostable organic materials, including produce scraps, plant trimmings and coffee grounds and other common household items.
Composting is the natural process of recycling organic matter, such as plant trimmings and food scraps, into a valuable fertilizer that can enrich soil and plants.
Since its founding in 2011, the Compost Cats have diverted more than 20 million pounds of food waste from local landfills. It’s the only organization in Southern Arizona that accepts large volumes of food scraps, manure, brush and other landscaping materials. In 2014, the organization partnered with the city of Tucson Environmental Services to collect more food scraps from across town, working with over 100 local businesses, diverting over 1 million pounds of waste.
Four years later, Compost Cats transitioned from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Cooperative Extension to the Office of Sustainability. Since then, it has been working with the university to strengthen its public education, research and outreach efforts.
“We provide all of this community engagement to be more meaningful and impactful, changing the community behavior to divert food waste,” said Dr. Ilse Rojas-Hamilton, Compost Cats’ program manager.
Rojas-Hamilton, who joined the Office of Sustainability in July 2019, brought 12 years of experience in interdisciplinary research, environmental consulting, outreach and education programs development and mentorship.
In January 2021, she helped open a compost operation with the city of Tucson Environmental Services at the Los Reales Sustainability Campus, formerly known as the Los Reales Landfill. The regional facility is the only active landfill managed and owned by the city.
Community outreach
Rojas-Hamilton said Compost Cats works to educate the campus and the community at its demonstration sites and workshops. In the past year, it has reached out to more than 6,000 people, including K-12 students, through projects like the UA Community Garden.
“We deliver experiential learning and hands-on education,” Rojas-Hamilton said, noting that school children who visit the garden love to see the worms.