Liberty Grounds Department Reuses Materials For Campus Planting Projects

The spring weather brings both fresh air and the greenery of a new season, but it could also bring a new perspective — an air of gratitude that enables people to focus on protecting and sustaining natural beauty. 

Liberty Grounds is working towards a greener future with projects that encourage recycling, “zero waste” and the reuse of old materials for composting. Combining leaves, grass clippings, coffee grounds and manure from the Equestrian Center, the university is developing the perfect “recipe” to aid in planting and landscaping projects all across campus. 

According to Jake Anderson, the campus recycling coordinator, Liberty also hopes to include food waste into the mix at some point, both to cut back on disposal costs and to give the grounds a great source of nitrogen. 

 “With the support of students, faculty and staff, we will continue to grow our campus sustainability and are ecstatic to grow our efforts,” Anderson said.

With the help of new production equipment and technology, green projects that once took the campus close to a year to complete can now be finished in a third of the time. Such improvements will eliminate the need to dispose waste and reduce the need to purchase composting materials from external vendors, according to Anderson.

Liberty is also bolstering its current recycling program.

“The goal of the Ground’s Recycling Program is to rank amongst the best universities in the nation by encouraging stewardship in sustainability with our students,” Anderson said.

Protecting the environment can start small, like picking up loose trash, putting the right waste in the right containers and staying mindful of litter.

If you would like to know more about how you can lend a green thumb, you can contact Anderson at jranderson11@liberty.edu or follow @libertyuniversityrecycling on Instagram to help you get started. 

Engel is a feature reporter.