Sterling Heights to test community compost drop‑off and seek NextCycle grant to expand pilot

Sterling Heights staff and local nonprofit Make Food Not Waste outlined a proposed year‑long community compost drop‑off pilot designed to let residents drop food scraps for industrial composting rather than sending them to landfills.

"The pilot would go for a full calendar year to allow us to gauge participation and determine next steps," sustainability planner Alexis Weinberg said. The pilot would place two 64‑gallon collection bins at sites tentatively identified as Nelson Park and the city campus, with weekly collection by a private hauler and transfer to an industrial compost facility (Spur Industries). Early participants would receive a 5‑gallon collection container to bring their scraps to the drop‑off.

Danielle Todd, executive director of Make Food Not Waste, presented the local context: the group estimates Sterling Heights generates roughly 50 million pounds of food waste annually — mostly from residents — and said municipal programs can reduce greenhouse‑gas emissions and household food waste. Staff emphasized the pilot’s initial scope is residential drop‑off rather than curbside collection; Alexi Weinberg said curbside options would require additional hauler and equipment changes.

Staff also said they would apply with partners for a NextCycle grant that would fund "food cyclers" (in‑building units that dehydrate or break down food for easier transport) and other pilot elements. The grant calls for a 20% local match; Weinberg said if the city is awarded the grant it could substantially expand the pilot at lower local cost. Council asked staff to provide operational details, bin locations, haul frequency, contamination controls and expected costs for scaling up after the pilot.