Here the garbage collection provider rents us totes that food scraps etc. are supposed to go into. The contents are hauled to a large scale composting business - which then sells the bagged results back to the public!

Perhaps your college is composting food scraps; I know that my daughter's college is.

I'm with Lisa. Does your college have an ag dept? Also you can post on freecycle or craigslist. Maybe start a vermicomposting thing and make a few $???? Nancy

You could certainly try vermicomposting, which works well for food scraps. It would allow you to divert almost all your food scraps from the regular garbage/landfill; can be done in a small space indoors or outdoors; and results in compost that is compact in volume but very rich in plant nutrients, and very desirable to other gardeners if you want to give it away or even sell it at the end.

You can store the finished compost over the winter quite easily, and then in spring go looking for recipients - as others have suggested, there must be some kind of gardening or agriculture going on on your campus, or look for community gardens in your area, or try craigslist or freecycle. If you can connect with someone growing vegetables or fruit in your area, maybe you can arrange a barter - vermicompost at the beginning of the season in exchange for some produce later on.

Have you checked that food waste isn't already recycled at your college? And if it isn't, as well as starting your own composting, how about starting a campaign to get the college doing so? It should be.

First of all ... where are you living? Collecting and composting does have some odor and vermin issues.

If it is a dormitory or apartments, talk to the manager about the possibility.

Saying this as a landlord - one tenant decided to save aluminum cans and recycle them. That's a good idea, but the large bin of soft drink cans was a breeding ground fro roaches who lived the leftover syrupy stuff. I had to evict the tenant and fumigate the house.

Yes - I was working on the assumption the OP was living on campus.

I have known some college students to be very responsible and careful and others to be...not so much.

OP, if you do go for composting or vermicomposting, please tolerate some lecturing from your elders about how it's a big responsibility and you really have to commit to looking after it - just like getting a puppy!