All members of the UB community are invited to pick up free soil amendment from the Campus Dining and Shops food decomposer machine for use in their own flower and vegetable gardens.

The decomposer is located in Statler Commissary, off Service Center Road near Maple Road on the North Campus. The commissary is staffed from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Gardeners should call 645-2832 or 645-4993 to make sure soil amendment is available. Enter the building through the door to the right of the loading docks and take the set of stairs to the first door on the left. Staff usually is there to assist.

The commissary began its composting program nine years ago as a small outdoor food pile, and it has since grown into a large machine-run operation. Last year CDS installed a new industrial-sized Eco-Smart food decomposer at the commissary, replacing the original medium sized Eco-Smart machine. The latter was relocated to Crossroads Culinary Center, the new residential dining center in the Ellicott Complex.

The soil amendment produced by the food decomposer machine is an organic fertilizer rich in nutrients ideal for any flower or vegetable garden.