2025 Seed Awardees & 2026 Application Period

Written By Melissa Radiwon

‍$295k in Seed Awards provide boost to early-stage projects reusing, recovering, and recycling valuable materials in Michigan

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) is funding 30 projects focused on small solutions, with big potential impact.  With each award ranging from $8,000 to $10,000,  NextCycle Michigan Seed Awards will support small-scale, early-stage projects that help keep valuable materials out of landfills and advance Michigan’s circular economy. A total of $295,000 in funding is strategically paired with technical support from NextCycle Michigan to help these projects get the funding they need, with expert support to guide their way. ‍

“Whether you are a startup with a prototype, a municipality with a pilot program, or a nonprofit launching a reuse initiative, the Seed Awards provide flexible funding to get your project moving forward,” said Matt Flechter, EGLE Recycling Market Development Specialist. “This year, we have 30 organizations that are innovating and collaborating to fill in gaps in Michigan’s circular economy and create pathways for materials to stay in use and out of the landfills.”

AWARDEES

  • ADH Ventures Holdings, LLC (Detroit): Reusable takeout container pilot program with Detroit restaurants.

  • Architectural Salvage Warehouse of Detroit (Detroit): Processing unused, salvaged wood into mulch products.

  • Bale Craft (Traverse City): Utilizing waste straw to create sustainable building materials.

  • ‍Capture Tech Inc. (Ann Arbor): Scaling a system to transform biofiltration materials into fertilizer.

  • Citrimer Inc. (East Lansing): Transforming agricultural waste into unsaturated polyester resin.

  • City of Eastpointe (Eastpointe): Evaluating the existing residential recycling program to identify improvement pathways.

  • City of Grand Rapids (Grand Rapids): Opening six food scrap collection drop-off sites.

  • Comprenew (Grand Rapids): Developing services to collect and recycle vape pens.

  • D2 Solar LLC (Detroit): Repurposing solar panels to power mobile charging stations.

  • ‍Eastside Compost, LLC (Lansing): Scaling composting operations in partnership with the Ingham County Land Bank.

  • Electric Park Compost (Hancock): Conducting a pilot program for community composting in Houghton County.

  • Empower to Comply, LLC (Oak Park): Workforce training focused on end-of-life battery recycling.

  • Fibarcode, LLC (Ann Arbor): Integrating traceable labels into outdoor gear to improve sortation for resale and recycling.

  • Flowers Automotive Recyclers, LLC (Springfield): Launching a VIN-based dismantling and inventory model to recover parts from end-of-life vehicles.

  • Goodwill Industries of Northern Michigan (Traverse City): Deploying the Food Rescue US app and model to expand its food rescue program.

  • Hemp 4 Humanity Foundation (Three Rivers): Conducting research and development on utilizing hemp waste for PFAS absorption pads.

  • Kent County Food Policy Council (Grand Rapids): Expanding food scrap collection routes and drop-off sites.

  • Laketown Township (Holland): Conducting a pilot program to transition the township recycling program from using bags to using rolling carts.

  • Missaukee Conservation District (Lake City): Developing a program to collect and recycle Christmas trees into biochar.

  • Neighbors Building Brightmoor (Detroit): Developing a neighborhood food scrap collection and composting program.

  • ‍Nessie Solutions, LLC (Spring Lake): Launching a program to collect social district cups for recycling.

  • Partridge Creek Compost (Ishpeming): Purchasing bins and developing educational materials to scale food scrap collection and composting in the Upper Peninsula.

  • PlantWise Academy, LLC (Okemos): Launching a food scrap collection program with Muskegon Public Schools.

  • Resourceful Recycling, Inc. (Chesaning): Launching food scrap collection program in Shiawassee County.

  • Sanctuary Farms (Detroit): Strategic planning for full-scale composting facility in Detroit.

  • Scrap Soils (Detroit): Launching commercial food scrap collection program.

  • Southfield Public School District (Southfield): Implementing district-wide school recycling program.

  • The Museum Detroit (Detroit): Collecting textile waste to repurpose into community-made products.

  • Village of Elk Rapids (Elk Rapids): Expanding recycling site to accept additional materials and incorporate reuse elements.

  • Wayne State University (Detroit): Developing an on-campus solution to capture surplus, prepared foods for repackaging as heat-and-ready meals.

‍Funding for the Seed Awards is provided by EGLE. Awards are distributed in amounts ranging from $8,000-$10,000. Funds can be used for prototyping, research and development, purchasing equipment or supplies, conducting feasibility studies, supporting pilot projects and other activities that support progress toward full implementation.

The application period for the 2026 Seed Awards is now open, accepting applications through June 30, 2026. Interested applicants are encouraged to attend the upcoming virtual information session on May 20 at 11:00 am EST. Learn more about this year’s award opportunity and register for the information session at www.NextCycleMichigan.com/seed-awards-2026.

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Melissa Radiwon
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