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Composting

Compost after two years being held in a hand. Photo courtesy of EGLE staffer Kent Walters.
Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy

Composting

Do you throw away your kitchen scraps, toss leftovers, or dispose of yard waste? If so, composting may be for you!

Composting is good for the environment. Unlike landfills that can release methane, a greenhouse gas which contributes to climate change, composting breaks down organic material without releasing methane into the atmosphere. Composting produces what gardeners call "black gold", a nutrient rich soil supplement that holds moisture and will help your garden grow.

There are many ways to compost - you can find a composter or community garden near you that takes food scraps and organic materials, or you can even compost in your own backyard! Use the resources below to help find a fit for you and your family!

Composting at Home

Residential composting

At-home composting can be an easy way to use the food and yard waste from your home.

Aerial view of Ann Arbor's expanded composting operations

Commercial composting

Facilities managing over 200 cubic yards of yard clippings must register with EGLE.

Food waste being composted

Food waste and recovery

Each day in the US approximately one pound of food per person is wasted. Learn how to prevent and divert wasted foods.

Many white 5-gallon buckets with sorted food scraps

Composting at school

School composting provides endless educational opportunities and can be tied in with the growing popularity of school gardens.

Leaf Litter in a Yard Waste Only Bucket

Leaf litter and yard waste

Residents  are encouraged to compost, schedule pick-up with a local waste providers, or find a drop off location for composting yard waste.

A bright green marijuana leaf

Cannabis / Marijuana

Cannabis cultivation and processing are expanding, as hemp and both recreational and medical marijuana products are being legalized across the country.

Contact us

Contact our solid waste program staff at EGLE-MMD-SW@Michigan.gov or find solid waste program staff contacts by county

a map of Michigan scattered with points indicating compost facilities
a map of Michigan scattered with points indicating compost facilities

Michigan compost facilities and commercial anaerobic digesters

Find locations of registered anaerobic digesters that are regulated by EGLE, and find locations of compost facilities registered and/or permitted with EGLE.

Launch the interactive map Access the data



A video explaining how composting works from small scale at your home to a large scale commercial basis

Talking Trash: Composting

Composting can be done on a small scale at home - or on a large-scale commercial basis like at Hammond Farms, which has compost windows the length of two football fields.

Country Oaks Landscape Supply even captures the heat generated from composting and uses it to heat an onsite greenhouse and aquaponic system.