Please Note: The University is limiting food scraps collection to the major dining venues on campus and select graduate student housing (Lakeside and Lawrence apartments). Other requests for food scrap collection are unable to be fulfilled at this time. Additionally, composting activities at the S.C.R.A.P. Lab are currently on hold due to a planned facility relocation to accommodate capital development efforts associated with the University’s Campus Plan. Updates on the operational restart date will be communicated on the project's Blog.

After years of planning, the Office of Sustainability initiated an on-site food scraps composting demonstration project in September 2018 to support the sustainability goals and research and education missions of Princeton University.

Called the Sustainable Composting Research at Princeton (S.C.R.A.P.) Lab, the demonstration project involves using a Model 1000 in-vessel composting system developed by the company FOR Solutions to convert campus food scraps into a nutrient-rich soil amendment for campus grounds.  Additionally, the project supports academic research around food scraps conversion which is a topic of growing interest that can benefit from more applied testing and performance assessment while federal and state targets increasingly call for drastic cuts in wasted food.

Although this project involves the collaboration of many staff across multiple departments, the student operational team is responsible for the weekly loading and off-loading of the composting system. 

For more information about the S.C.R.A.P. Lab Operational Assistants, visit the Blog.