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Campus Review
October 10, 2013
Going Green with the Bio-Digestor:
A Hidden Treasure at Clayton State
by Amanda Parham, University Relations
Refill Your Own Water Bottles for Free
Sustainability Made Real at Clayton State Hydration Stations
by Sarah Boyd, University Relations
Visitors to Clayton State University, as
well as students, faculty and staff, have
undoubtedly noticed the different types of
recycling receptacles around campus or
the newly installed hydration stations at
the water fountains. These are two exam-
ples of sustainability projects going on
around Clayton State. However, there is a
new sustainability project that many stu-
dents and faculty are unaware of that
demonstrates the campus’ continual
efforts in “going green.”
The Bio-Digestor is the newest treasure
within Clayton State, hidden in the
kitchen of the Lakeside Dining Hall. This
intriguing new device breaks down food
waste that is collected from meals and
food preparation throughout the day. After
about 24 hours, the food waste is turned
into an environmentally safe water efflu-
ent, referred to as grey water.
The Bio-Digestor is a stainless steel
“mechanical stomach” that’s about four
feet in length and more than three feet tall.
The discarded food is introduced into the
Bio-Digestor from a hatch at the top and
is then evenly distributed in the machine.
The Bio-Digestor usually process around
250 pounds of food waste a day. Once the
food is distributed, tiny micro-organisms
and enzymes react to the fats, starches,
fibers, and proteins in the food waste and
break them down into a liquid form. After
about 24 hours in the Bio-Digestor, the
food waste is completely broken down
and all that remains is the eco-friendly
grey water.
While some schools still have the tradition-
al water fountain for their students, Clayton
State University has provided its students
with very convenient, eco-friendly hydra-
tion stations. These stations not only pro-
vide filtered water that taste great, but they
also provide touch-less, sanitary operation
for easy use; just place the bottle in front of
the sensor and watch as it fills up your bot-
tle with water that is like no other.
Clayton State students and avid water con-
sumers want to get the most for their buck.
They definitely don’t want to spend $1.50
on water five times a week. These stations
not only reduce spending on water bottles,
but also reduce the amount of bottles saved
from landfills, as users are able to see from
the green tickers provided on the stations.
“I like the new stations; I have used them
about 20 times and have saved a bunch of
money. The water tastes more refreshing
than regular tap water,” says Darrain Frye,
a Clayton State student.
As an effort to “go-green,” Clayton State
has placed these stations in 12 different
locations around campus to make it acces-
sible for every student, faculty and staff
member.
“We put one on the first floor of the UC just
as a trial and they were a big hit. People
were coming from other buildings to fill up
their bottles everyday,” says Carolina
Amero, AVP of Auxiliary and
Administrative Services.
Big hit is right! The green ticker on that par-
ticular station has saved of more than 18,330
water bottles. Other stations around campus
have saved more than 32,000 just in the
month that they have been on campus.
“I really think they fit well into our sustain-
ability efforts as we are trying to make our
campus more eco-friendly and not waste so
many bottles each month,” says Amero.
She has received an enormous amount of
positive feedback from these stations and is
excited they are doing so well.
So before going out and buying a new bot-
tle of water every day, think about visiting
one of these convenient hydration stations
and become a part of making Clayton State
University more “green” and less wasteful.
Water fountains locations:
Facilities Management hallway
Athletics & Fitness (2)
Clayton Hall – 2nd floor
Library-1st floor
Arts & Sciences – 2nd floor
University Center-1st and 2nd floor
Natural & Behavioral Sciences – main
lobby
Lecture Hall
Student Activities Center – 1st floor
Student Center-2nd floor
Clayton State cook Terry Sargent “feeds” the
Bio-Digestor
Bio-Digester, cont’d. p. 13