From turning food scraps into compost for campus landscaping to being the first campus in the Northeast to adopt a system that turns organic waste into renewable energy, UMass Lowell has reaped numerous benefits from its recycling and composting programs, while emerging as a national leader in sustainability in higher education. For those efforts, UML has been named “Innovator of the Year” by Casella Waste Systems, its regional solid waste contractor. The award recognizes the university for the new and creative ways that it sustains and conserves resources and diverts waste destined for landfills.
Director of Sustainability Ruairi O’Mahony accepted the honor on behalf of the university at the first-ever (virtual) Casella Sustainability Leadership Awards. The award, he said, is a direct result of Chancellor Jacquie Moloney’s commitment to climate neutrality and sustainability. “We are continuously encouraged to be innovative and to try new ideas,” O’Mahony said. “The fact that we are recognized for that is really reflective of the culture that exists at our university.”
Working with the Casella Organics division, UML composts food scraps at every dining hall on campus, as well as from its cafes, food courts, the Tsongas Center and the UMass Lowell Inn and Conference Center. The nutrient-rich compost is used in gardens and green spaces across campus, and it has even been sold to the UML community in a pilot program run by the Office of Sustainability.