Less waste will be sent to a landfill at this year’s Fall Fest as the University promotes sustainability with composting and recycling.Students from the Environmental Conservation Organization, the Environmental Graduate Organization and the University’s community for sustainability will promote awareness and educate students on composting and recycling at Fall Fest.Composting is the natural    process organic materials, such as food or yard wastes, undergo as they biodegrade, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Man-made compost piles can decrease the amount of waste humans aggregate in landfills.About eight to nine local food vendors, including Raising Cane’s, will contribute by offering compostable containers for food instead of non-compostable or non-recyclable containers, like plastic foam, said Denise Newell, Campus Sustainability manager.ECO and EGO student volunteers will be in the Quad during Fall Fest to show students what materials can be recycled and composted, said Matt Wyatt, ECO vice president.”People generally have an idea of what recycling is, but they don’t have an idea of what can be recycled,” Wyatt said.Composting will also encourage local vendors to become more green, Newell said.”Ideally, we would like to have no trash cans, but some of the items are not recyclable,” she said.Composting at Fall Fest will benefit the University because it will pay less for trash sent to a landfill, she said.This year’s Fall Fest will be the pilot program for composting, and Wyatt said he hopes the success will spark more initiative to have sustainable composting on campus throughout the year.William Carney, LSU AgCenter associate professor and head of the W.A. Callegari Environmental Center, said all the plates, napkins and utensils will be compostable if they are made from organic materials.The compostable waste will be sent to the Callegari Environmental Center, where it will spend three to four months composting, he said.The compost byproduct will put health back into the soil. The compost byproduct from the Callagari Environmental Center is used by the University and students from Hill Farm and landscape architecture, Carney said.If composting at Fall Fest is successful, Newell said it may be possible to implement it on campus, but the University will need to analyze the impact of a larger compost location, cost of implementation and operations and the long-term savings.”Sustainability is really a value choice,” Newell said. “If that is what you value, there may be a cost associated with it.”Anne Whitaker, political science senior, said the University is behind on sustainable efforts, but it’s never too late to start.Taylor McDaniel, psychology sophomore, said he thinks anything to lessen pollution and help the environment is an advancement for the UniversityFall Fest will take place Oct. 9 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Quad.—–Contact Kristen M’lissa Rowlett at [email protected]