GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The City of Grand Rapids has officially launched Renew Grand Rapids, a citywide food scrap pilot expanding organics diversion access for residents across all three City wards.
The program grew out of demonstrated community interest in greater access to food scrap diversion. Residents had been requesting a food scrap collection option through the City’s Climate Action and Adaptation Plan engagement process since as early as 2023. Renew Grand Rapids now provides seven neighborhood drop-off locations, creating another accessible option for residents to keep food scraps out of the landfill and Waste to Energy incinerator.
To support the pilot, the City selected Green Mountain Technologies’ 40-foot Intermodal Earth Flow in-vessel composting system to provide local processing capacity for collected food scraps.
Rather than starting from scratch, the project builds on organics management infrastructure already in place in Grand Rapids. The City’s existing composting operation already manages significant quantities of leaves and other yard material.
The Earth Flow provides an enclosed, automated environment for active composting, with automated mixing and aeration designed to reduce day-to-day operator attention. By adding dedicated food scrap processing capacity, the City can expand the materials it diverts, such as trees that its forestry division cuts down as another source of carbon, while efficiently using existing municipal resources.
"Integrating the Earth Flow system provides Grand Rapids with a practical, automated solution to process food scraps locally at our existing facility," said John Gorney, public works director. "This pilot allows us to meet growing resident interest in food scrap diversion and evaluate long-term options for managing municipal organic waste efficiently."
“Grand Rapids came into this project with a strong foundation already in place—from established yard waste infrastructure to a community that has demonstrated real interest in sustainability,” said Betsy La Force, GMT sales and business development manager. “The Earth Flow gives the City an automated tool to expand local processing capacity and turn collected food scraps into finished compost for the community.”
The City engaged hundreds of residents in determining both collection locations and how finished compost should be redistributed. Compost produced from material collected through Renew Grand Rapids will ultimately be made available to residents at no cost, helping close the loop by returning those resources to the community.
Renew Grand Rapids adds another municipal pathway for residents to participate in food scrap diversion, supporting the City's broader sustainability and waste reduction goals.
About Green Mountain Technologies
Green Mountain Technologies designs and manufactures composting systems for municipalities, institutions, farms, commercial composters, and other organizations seeking practical solutions for managing organic waste. GMT’s Earth Flow™ in-vessel composting systems provide automated mixing and aeration for the local processing of food scraps and other organic materials.
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