Food waste here in Montgomery County contributes around 124 thousand tons of food scraps annually, and Maryland alone produces over a million tons of food waste, most of which is disposed of in landfill systems. Food waste is considered an environmental hazard as it produces methane gas when decomposing in landfills, greatly contributing to climate disruption. This is why Compostology was founded in 2020 by Angelina Xu and Advika Agarwal.
In an Interview with Compostology Co-Founder and Richard Montgomery High School Senior, Advika Agarwal said, “Compostology launches composting and food recovery programs in schools. Each program collects [around] 200 [to] 2000 lbs of food waste for composting per year depending on the school size and [if it’s a] primary vs secondary. Each program also recovers about 60-80 unopened food items to be distributed back to the students, 100% of which are claimed.” Agarwal said, “We train student leaders to organize these programs and emphasize peer-to-peer environmental education when teaching students how to participate in food recovery and composting.”
Compostology has over 14 programs started across schools in Montgomery County, and according to Compostology’s official website, their main goal is to bring food waste to the front lines and bring equity and a better environment to communities. Compostology intends to bring this to fruition by introducing interdisciplinary programs to change mindsets and providing the necessary education and materials. “In Maryland we’re going to guide the recipients of the SB 124 grant money and use their funds and maintain successful programs,” Agarwal stated. SB124 is a piece of legislation here in Maryland that awards grants to county boards and public schools that implement and develop solutions to reducing food waste produced by schools.
As of right now, Compostology is focusing on raising awareness and fundraising to fund composting programs across Montgomery County and statewide, “We’re also working to advocate for a composting facility to be built in Montgomery County and expanding our composting programs across the county and country” Thomas S. Wootton High School Senior Emily Liu stated in an interview. Liu is a Director for Compostology and represents Compostology at events and works on policy initiatives.
Compostology is also accepting students who want to open up composting programs in their schools. “[Students] can join Compostology and advocate their PTAs and or local groups for funds to support programs like these! Our Compostology team is happy to guide anyone in the process of obtaining funds, coordinating education campaigns at their schools, etc. Anyone can email us at Compostologymd@gmail.com to get started,” Agarwal stated.
Spreading awareness about organizations like Compostology can greatly benefit the organization by providing education about the issues of food waste across MCPS. More Information, including previous chapters and events and about Compostology in general, can be found on their Instagram and LinkTree.
Article Written by Nicolas Leyva Diaz of Springbrook High School
Photo Courtesy of Compostology