About the Program

The City of Detroit has made history with the launch of its first municipal food scrap drop-off program, turning household food waste into nutrient-rich compost to support local soil health and food systems.

Each year, more than 251 million pounds of food are wasted in Detroit — with half of that coming from residential households. As outlined in the Detroit Climate Strategy (DCS), one of the city's top four priorities is to “Accelerate Energy Efficiency and Reduce Waste”. This pilot composting initiative directly supports that goal by demonstrating the environmental and community benefits of diverting food waste from landfills and reducing what enters the city’s municipal waste stream.

The program supports the DCS’s three-year target to divert 15% of waste from landfills, providing a crucial first step toward long-term goals, including:

• Citywide residential composting
• Commercial compost operations
• On-site composting at municipal buildings
• Training health inspectors on food donation and food rescue practices

Led by the Office of Sustainability’s Urban Agriculture Division, this pilot program represents a commitment to a decentralized composting system that can serve both Detroit residents and the city’s growing network of urban farms. Instead of sending food scraps to landfills — where they produce harmful greenhouse gases — this program empowers residents to turn waste into a resource that supports healthy soil, local food production, and a more sustainable Detroit.
This work is made possible by generous funding from Carhartt, along with key partnerships with Doers Edge LLC, Scrap Soils, and numerous urban farms across the city.