Renew Grand Rapids
Renew Grand Rapids
Turning yesterday's food into tomorrow's garden. Renew Grand Rapids benefits our community by providing a food scrap drop-off option, reducing greenhouse gas emissions from landfills, and delivering nutrient-rich soil directly to our residents.
Events
About
Renew Grand Rapids is officially LIVE! After months of work, engagement, and collaboration, your food scrap pilot is here. Navigate to our “Sign-Up” tab for instructions on how to download the app.
Want in-person assistance?
Join us at some upcoming "office hours" events to help troubleshoot the app, test a bin, plus grab some smaller bins, stickers, do's and don'ts lists, and more!
Location: 1500 Scribner Ave NW Grand Rapids, MI 49504
Mondays: 9 am - 12 pm | August 24th, 31st
Wednesdays: 1 - 4 pm | August 26th, September 2nd, September 9th
Currently, most food scraps in Grand Rapids end up incinerated or sent to landfills, with other municipal solid waste (MSW). About 35-40% of total MSW generated in our City is organic, totaling around 13,000 tons each year. These 13,000 tons could be diverted to a compost facility and be transformed into a nutrient-rich resource.
At The City of Grand Rapids, we’ve made the commitment to giving organics a second life as compost. Renew Grand Rapids is a holistic initiative prioritized to save money, resources, and advance our community goals of reducing waste-related greenhouse gas emissions. By diverting food scraps into high-quality compost, we aren't just reducing waste—we are actively fighting climate change by reducing methane emissions, a greenhouse gas 30x stronger at trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide.
As we move forward with Renew Grand Rapids, these are the questions driving our food scrap pilot forward:
How much food waste can be collected from each City operation site?
How can food scraps be collected efficiently, and routinely, while maintaining workplace cleanliness and productivity?
What is the cost of collection, compost creation and distribution; and the return on investment towards sustainability goals for GHG reduction?
How can we take what we learn from this pilot and bring a version of it to our residents?
How can a circular food waste system give back to underserved communities facing higher levels of pollution, poor soil quality, and limited access to healthy fruits and vegetables?
Past Efforts
Our journey began internally in 2025 with a cross-departmental pilot program across five major City operation sites. We successfully diverted over 5,000 pounds of food waste in just six months. This initial phase allowed our team to test collection methods, measure costs, and refine the logistics needed to keep our workspaces clean and productive while pursuing our sustainability goals.
Live Now!
The success of our internal pilot is just the beginning. In August 2026, we launched the Residential Food Scrap Pilot citywide. This features seven convenient drop-off locations across all three Wards and a new mobile app to streamline participation. Our goal is to create a robust, local food system where recycled nutrients support underserved neighborhoods, improve soil quality, and ensure every resident has a chance to help Renew Grand Rapids.
Note: If you've signed up for Kent County's Food Scrap Drop-Off Program or would like to learn more about their initiative and locations, visit their site here.
For technical issues within the app, please use the HELP option in the app menu.
For questions about the program, please email RenewGR@grcity.us or call 311.