The latest landscaping endeavor by the University of Iowa will be done with students’ leftover tater tots. Specifically, it’s food waste from the cafeteria at Hillcrest Residence Hall that Iowa City landfill workers have turned into compost.

This new plan has its origins with a former Hillcrest food server.

“I’ve worked in restaurants, and I see the food that’s thrown away. It was disappointing,” said Holly Moriarty, a UI senior and environmental engineering major.

Last May, she helped create an environmental feasibility study for a class project and later took those ideas to the university and city. It took a little convincing on her part because some people weren’t sure how it would work, but it did very well, Moriarty said.

The project finished its first truckload of dirt and is starting on another one.

The city has made compost from yard waste for years but never found a good system to use food, which staff said has more moisture and produces a slightly better product.

UI will use the soil for its flowerbeds and other landscaping projects throughout campus.

A total of 17 tons of food waste was collected over eight months to make about 10 tons of soil.