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EGLE specialist urges Charlevoix County to expand food-waste diversion, education and school programs
Summary
At the Oct. 23 MMPC meeting, an EGLE food-waste specialist detailed state targets and local options — from school audits to pilot drop-off sites — and urged Charlevoix County to set measurable goals. Committee members prioritized organics collection and education.
A Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) food-waste specialist urged Charlevoix County officials on Oct. 23 to prioritize food-waste diversion through education, school programs and expanded processing capacity.
Aubree Carlisle, Food Waste Specialist in EGLE’s Recycling Unit, presented an overview of statewide data and program models during the Charlevoix County Materials Management Planning Committee meeting at the Shirley Roloff Center. Carlisle highlighted that organics and compostables make up roughly 38% of municipal solid waste in Michigan and described federal and state goals aimed at halving food loss and waste by 2030, aligning with United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 12.3 and related federal interagency efforts.
Why it matters: Carlisle told the committee that diverting food waste reduces methane emissions from landfills and can extend landfill life while creating economic opportunities. She recommended a three-part framework for county planning: map the local food-waste landscape, develop program support and infrastructure (for example, drop-off sites, curbside pilots, community composting or digesters), and run community engagement and education campaigns.
Specific recommendations and examples included school food-waste audits, share tables, and cafeteria collection systems; pilot curbside or drop-off programs in communities that demonstrate interest; and exploring pre-processing technologies and on-site composting or digestion where feasible. The presentation reviewed pros and cons of processing technologies (noting high upfront costs and operational requirements) and listed grant and technical-assistance resources such as NextCycle and EGLE-funded grants.
Committee members used polling software to identify priorities; installing organics collection and boosting education repeatedly ranked highest. Slides and discussion also pointed to metrics the county could track — tonnage of food waste collected, diversion rates, greenhouse-gas reductions, and food-rescue statistics — to measure progress.
Carlisle closed by pointing the committee to state resources and potential funding sources to support pilots and school programs. The presentation materials noted national and state-level programs and guidance (including the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Act for food donation and EGLE technical resources).
Next steps: The committee did not adopt a formal policy at the meeting but identified organics collection, school engagement and public education as near-term priorities to examine further.
