Grand Rapids & WeCare Denali | Grand Rapids, MI
The Team: This team is a collaboration between the city of Grand Rapids and WeCare Denali. Grand Rapids is located in west-central Michigan, roughly 30 miles east of Lake Michigan, with a population of approximately 197,000 people. WeCare Denali is one of the largest organics and residual management companies in the US with operations across the country, including locations in Grand Rapids and Ann Arbor, Michigan.
NextCycle Michigan Project: The city of Grand Rapids has ambitions to develop a food scrap drop-off pilot program. The city would partner with community gardens and farmer’s markets to host collection sites. Once collected, the material would be brought to the city’s current compost facility, operated by WeCare Denali. There, the food scraps would be made into viable finished compost to be distributed locally at community gardens and other city or local projects. After the initial pilot, the program could expand to include pre-consumer commercial food scraps and wood recycling – including wood waste from surrounding cities. During NextCycle Michigan, the team will work with coaches to calculate realistic metrics for diversion, develop a business plan for incoming and outgoing products, and identify and prepare for funding pathways. This project will divert materials from landfills, improve soil health, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and create jobs.
Additional Information:
Websites:
City of Grand Rapids: https://www.grandrapidsmi.gov/Home
WeCare Denali: https://www.wecarecompost.com/