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Press Release

Kent County DPW creating ‘community champions’ through Master Composter course

Free educational course provides composting resources to reduce landfill waste

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – In an effort to promote sustainability and reduce waste, the Kent County Department of Public Works (DPW) is helping create local master composters.

The DPW’s free Master Composter course educates participants on the composting process to reduce food waste and create nutrient-rich soil. The DPW recently completed its inaugural course with 17 students. Based on the program’s initial success, the DPW plans to offer additional Master Composter courses annually in the spring.

“In Michigan, almost 40% of the material that ends up in our state’s landfills is made up of organic waste like food scraps or compostable containers,” said Micah Herrboldt, waste reduction educator at the DPW. “Giving community members the tools and knowledge they need to compost at home helps to reduce our contributions to landfills and keeps our environment healthier and cleaner.”

For the course, the DPW is working with a coalition of partners, including the City of Grand Rapids, Michigan State University Extension, Kent County Essential Needs Task Force, Urban Core Collective and Wormies, a local vermicomposting business. The groups used materials developed by the Michigan Recycling Coalition to lead the course, which included instructional time, guided conversations and hands-on activities that helped participants become community champions for composting and reducing waste.

“As a resident of Grand Rapids, and as someone who wants to be mindful of the environment, I've been searching for ways to lessen the trash output in my household. I’m excited to see the Master Composter Program offered by the DPW and its partners,” said Ann L., class participant. “I learned how I can keep yard waste and food scraps on my property to transform into rich compost for my garden -- and better yet, I learned more about local resources and met other enthusiastic residents who want to compost, too.”

For more information about future Master Composter courses, contact the DPW at recycle@kentcountymi.gov.

The Master Composter course is one way the DPW is working to help residents reduce the amount of organic waste that is contributed to local landfills. The DPW recently unveiled drop-off containers for food scraps that are available for free to Kent County residents.

View photos from the course.

The Kent County Department of Public Works provides municipal solid waste disposal services to help ensure the effective removal, storage and disposal of residential and commercial solid waste through various facilities and programs, including Waste-to-Energy, the Recycling and Education Center, North Kent Transfer Station and South Kent Landfill.

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