Are you interested in organic gardening and composting at UF? Come out to the Compost Cooperative and Gardens (CCG), where you can adopt a garden plot, turn your food scraps into fertilizer, and attend fun socials!

The Compost Cooperative and Gardens (CCG) is a cross-disciplinary outreach program dedicated to promoting sustainability at the campus and community level. 

Organized by the BioEnergy and Sustainable Technology (BEST) Laboratory, the CCG was started to educate UF students about the importance of food waste composting and provide an opportunity to compost their own food waste. The SCC encourages and trains students, faculty, and staff at the University of Florida and the Gainesville community to compost their food waste and to appreciate the value of recycling by turning this waste into natural fertilizers.

The CCG maintains several composters to allow students and others in the UF community to compost their food waste. CCG closes the compost loop by maintaining a student-run organic garden in which students grow their own organic food using the compost they helped to create. Large barrels that collect rainwater allow students to easily irrigate their garden plots with a more sustainable source of water.

Encouraging students to use these eco-friendly practices builds awareness and environmental responsibility that contribute to their personal and communal growth, while the gardens serve as a place for students to relax, study and enjoy the outdoors. The SCC hosts open houses and field days and participates in a variety of other educational events to help build awareness and educate others about the benefits of composting.

• How It Works

  The CCG has an open door policy. Food waste can be brought to the composters at any time. When you place your food waste in the composter, please turn the compost to mix the fresh food waste into the compost. Turning facilitates the biodegradation and prevents odors. If you do not have a container to transport your food waste to the composters, we can provide you with one.

  

• CCG Orientations

  Sign up for an orientation to the Compost Cooperative and Gardens

  Orientations are every Friday at 5:15pm. Submit the Composting Orientation Registration Form to sign up.

   

• Research on Our Compost

  Compost Composition and Application Rate Have a Greater Impact on Spinach Yield and Soil Fertility Benefits Than Feedstock Origin

  Food-Based Composts Provide More Soil Fertility Benefits Than Cow Manure-Based Composts in Sandy Soils

• Founder and Director

  
  Dr. Ann C. Wilkie began the Compost Cooperative and Gardens as a place for students to compost their food waste and learn about sustainable practices. She continues to host and direct the CCG at her lab, the BioEnergy and Sustainable Technology Laboratory.

  For research and outreach questions, contact her at acwilkie@ufl.edu.

• Summer 2024 Student Support Team

  To get started with the CCG please contact the students below according to your area of interest.

  Composting

  Jenna Molen
  Compost Manager

  I love cooking and feeding people. The only thing I love as much as feeding people is feeding the microbes in our compost bins! The food scraps we throw in the bin become fertile soil that we can use to grow even more food, and, to me, there’s no better feeling than taking agency in closing the loop like that. 

  Please reach out to me with any questions about the Compost Cooperative and how to get involved.

  Staff,  UF Center for Undergraduate Research ( CUR ) 
  E-mail: jenna.molen@ufl.edu

  

  Gardening and Garden Plots:

  Ryan Champiny
  Garden Manager
  

  I'm interested in carbon cycling, soil health and community gardens.

  Please reach out to me with any questions about the cooperative gardens and growing food.

  Graduate student,  Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences
  E-mail: ryan.champiny@ufl.edu

  

  Ashley Clark
  Garden Manager

  I'm a fourth year dental student and have always enjoyed gardening since I was a kid.

  Please reach out to me with any questions about the garden or getting a plot.

  Senior, College of Dentistry
  Age: 27
  Hometown:  Spring Hill, FL
  Phone Number: 352-584-2868
  E-mail: aclark@dental.ufl.edu

  

   

  Social Media and Outreach:

  Regena Darbouze
  Social Media and Outreach Coordinator: Contact me with general questions or for information about events at the CCG.
  
  Sophomore, Majoring in Psychology- Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and on the Pre-Medicine Track
  Age: 19
  Hometown: Weston, Florida
  Phone: 954-635-0078
  Email: regena.darbouze@ufl.edu

  

  Katya Kasprzak

  Social Media and Outreach Coordinator: Contact me with general questions or for information about events at the CCG.
  
  I am a senior majoring in environmental management with a minor in soil science. If you have any questions on compost, soil, or sustainable agriculture, please don’t hesitate to reach out!

  Senior, Environmental Management and Natural Resources Major - College of Agricultural and Life Sciences
  Age: 22
  Hometown: Sandwich, MA
  Phone Number: 781-999-4758
  Email: katyakasprzak@ufl.edu

  

   

   

  Click here to see past student support team members

• Resources

  Program for composting of student food waste [Poster] Presented at the 2009 UF Undergraduate Research Symposium

  Student Compost Cooperative [Flyer]

  Composting basics and troubleshooting [Presentation]