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 Compost 
 

Welcome to a2gov.org/compost  

Ann Arbor's seasonal compost collection program runs from April 1 to Dec. 6, 2013 with weekly  pickups (from paper yard waste bags, compost carts and bundled brush) on normal solid waste collection days.
 

 

 

Compost Collection

 

 

 

Compost and Mulch Sales

 

 

 

Seasonal Programs & Announcements 

 

 

 

Home Composting

Updates

March 20, 2013 — Compost News: Now that spring has officially arrived, people are starting to think of raking up yard debris and adding finished compost to their gardens and landscapes.

  • The weekly curbside collection of residential compostables in the City of Ann Arbor resumed Monday, April 1, 2013, on regular curbside trash collection days. The compost program accepts yard trimmings such as leaves, plants, garden debris, twigs, and branches up to 6 inches in diameter and 4 feet in length. Ann Arbor residents using optional compost carts may also place grass clippings, fruit and vegetable scraps, and uncoated paper plates, paper cups, and napkins inside the carts for municipal collection.
  • Compost Sales: Bulk municipal compost and mulch are available for sale year-round from the Ann Arbor Compost Center at 4150 Platt Road, Ann Arbor 48108, 734.489.4518, open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Compost Center is also open on spring Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon during April, May and June. Mechanically-loaded cured and screened municipal compost and mulch are sold for $20/cubic yard (plus tax), minimum two cubic yards per visit, while supplies are available. Compost is and mulch in bushel and yard quantities are also sold at the Drop-Off Station.

Free Compost for Ann Arbor Residents: The following discounts and special offers at the Platt Road Compost Center facility for Ann Arbor residents, only. Residents must stop at the scale house at 4150 Platt Road and provide proof of Ann Arbor residency: a recent water bill and driver’s license.  

Free self-loaded compost and mulch for Ann Arbor residents is available on Saturdays, April 6, 2013 through June 29, 2013 from 8 a.m. to noon, while supplies last. Residents must bring their own shovel and containers. The scale house operator will direct the resident to the location of the free compost. Limit 6 bushels (or 1 cubic yard), total, of compost, mulch, or a combination thereof per household. 

Free cubic yard of mechanically-loaded compost or mulch with purchase. Ann Arbor residents are able to receive one free cubic yard of compost or mulch with the purchase of  at least one cubic yard of materials ($20 plus tax) from the Compost Center. Residents pay at the scale house, 4150 Platt Road.  The scale house operator will radio the field staff to mechanically load the truck. The vehicle must hold a minimum of 2 cubic yards of bulk materials.  Limit one free cubic yard per day, while supplies last through October 2013.

Jan. 2, 2013 -- Use your compost cart for store food scraps over the winter for spring compost pickup. Fruit and vegetable scraps, paper towels, napkins, and uncoated paper plates can be stored in an optional compost cart from mid-December to the first week of April. Periodically add a few inches of leaves, or garden (or bagged) soil, or shredded paper to cover the food scraps. Fact sheet attached (pdf).

March 20, 2012 — Ann Arbor City Council passed a resolution in support of the existing 1990 legislative ban on sending yard wastes to state landfills. This resolution is offered in response to bills passed recently in the state House of Representatives (HB 4265 and HB 4266 ) that would modify the ban on landfilling yard wastes. Ann Arbor’s resolution states that composting offers an environmentally sound, cost-effective, and decentralized method for managing yard clippings and other organic wastes, without the long-term impacts of landfill disposal. Michigan’s compost industry provides sustainable jobs and produces a valuable soil amending end-product used by farmers, landscapers, governments, and residents. In contrast, diverting yard waste to landfills to extract methane gas for fuel is an inefficient process and creates an irresponsible release of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Press release is attached (pdf).

Back to www.a2gov.org/compost
Back to www.a2gov.org/recycle
Back to www.a2gov.org home page
 

SUMMARY OF COMPOST SALES OPTIONS (PDF)

Fruit and vegetable food waste, paper napkins, and uncoated paper plates and cups may be placed in compost carts for seasonal collection.
Also see the Compostables Collection Web page.

Use your compost cart for winter storage of fruit and vegetable scraps. Flyer here.
3-min video here.

Video tour of the city's compost processing operations. Link to a new Web page. 

Ann Arbor was recognized by the Michigan Recycling Coalition as the best state compost operation in 2008!

Use the city's new Customer Response System to report a missed compost pickup or other non-emergency solid waste issue.

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