Composting for the Win in TC!

Oct. 18, 2025

This month, the City of Traverse City announced the results of the first year of its Compost and Food Waste Reduction Project, which is made possible by nonprofit partnerships with SEEDS Ecology & Education Centers and Carter’s Compost and a $250,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. (The latter funded a weather-proof, in-vessel composting unit for the city.) The goal of the program was to reduce methane emissions and landfill waste, and on both accounts, they succeeded. Here’s the dirt: more than 58,000 pounds of food scraps were collected by Carter’s Compost through the year, which translated into 27.5 cubic yards of finished compost by the end of the summer. To learn more about the project and get involved as a city resident or business, head to traversecitymi.gov/projects/compost-and-food-waste-reduction-project.html.