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USF St. Petersburg tells council $350,000 USDA grant will fund industrial composter and student‑run program
Summary
A USF St. Petersburg representative thanked the city and described a USDA award for a $350,000 industrial composter that will divert campus food waste, produce compost for landscaping and scale to accept downtown partners in phase two.
Karen Nesmith, representing USF St. Petersburg, addressed council during public comment on July 15 to thank city staff for partnership on a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant of $350,000 that will fund purchase of an industrial composter for the university campus.
Nesmith said the project was developed with USF sustainability faculty, a Student Green Energy Fund, and the Knott Center for Entrepreneurship. The initial phase will divert dining‑hall food waste into compost for landscaping, urban agriculture and community gardens. A planned Phase 2 would scale the operation to accept food waste from downtown restaurants, markets and other partners and return compost to community sites. Nesmith said the project also provides hands‑on experience for students in a sustainable‑business class where students would run the operations.
The remarks were made as part of the meeting—s public comment and were framed as an expression of gratitude to the city—s grants office and its Office of Sustainability and Resilience for staff support in applying for and administering the USDA award.
