Hosted by Emmet County Department of Public Works

Join Emmet County Recycling for a behind-the-scenes tour as they celebrate 5.3 million pounds of food scraps diverted from landfill to make compost. This tour is designed for municipalities looking to start or expand organics programs, as well as anyone interested in learning from a proven, replicable model.

During the tour, participants will learn how Emmet County’s EGLE registered medium-sized compost facility has grown from launching yard waste composting in 2006 to adding nitrogen rich food scrap hauling and composting in 2016, now diverting more than 600,000 pounds of food scraps annually. Discussion will highlight how composting supports Michigan’s Materials Management Planning statewide goals while advancing local waste reduction and diversion objectives. Attendees will hear how the program has grown and evolved and challenges faced in closing the loop through sales of compost locally and can be adapted to communities of varying sizes and learn about Emmet County’s upcoming Master Composter Series, launching this fall to help train the trainers and build local composting knowledge throughout Michigan.

This event is part of the Michigan Organics Council’s Great Michigan Compost Tour. Food rescuers, animal feed operators, and composters across the state are hosting tours to highlight how surplus food, yard waste, and food scraps are rescued to feed hungry people or transformed into valuable animal feed or soil amendments. The other tours in our Northern Michigan region are featured in this event series. Most tours take place outdoors, so we advise participants to dress in weather-appropriate layers.