HOLLAND, MI (WHTC-AM/FM, Apr. 29, 2022) – The Ottawa County Public Health Department has announced it will launch a new residential Food Composting Program beginning Monday, May 2. The program is unique to Ottawa County and is the only local public health-led residential composting program of its kind in the West Michigan region.
The program will allow residents and small businesses the opportunity to reduce food waste in an environmentally friendly way, which will benefit the Ottawa County environment. Composting is a natural process where organic matter, such as food waste, is recycled, turning it into usable, enriching material for soil and plants. Composting reduces the need for chemical fertilizers, prevents soil erosion, increases soil fertility, improves water retention and quality and reduces the amount of useable material taken to local landfills.
The Ottawa County Public Health Department identified the need for a composting program in the spring of 2021 after seeing an increase in public interest in community food composting programs. The program was piloted and tested with 35 households in Grand Haven and Holland in 2021.
More information on the composting program can be found by visiting miottawa.org/eco. The program is made possible through a Michigan Next Cycle MICROS grant.
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