Each month, we will highlight community heroes that are making a difference in their communities and working to make their local environments cleaner and healthier.
This month, we are taking a look at Partridge Creek Compost in MI!
Partridge Creek Composting is a nonprofit that aims to reduce food waste going to the landfill, improve soil health in their county, and educate their community about the environmental and social benefits of composting. From curbside compost collections to creating a high quality finished compost product, they are here to change the course of food waste diversion for their region. The Biobag team connected with Delaney Miller to tell us more about the organization. Read their responses below.
What led you to start your composting operation?
For this question, I referred to our Direction of Operations, Aaren Joki. He was one of the main drivers of our organization's creation. "I started getting into composting in Highschool in 2012. My friends and I didn't like how expensive worms were for fishing, so I started a worm farm. The worm farm produced more castings/vermicompost than worms and I realized that the compost was easier to sell. In 2016 I joined the board of Partridge Creek Farm to help them create their own soil for the community garden project. In 2022-23, the state issued new regulations on compost facilities handling yard waste and food waste. These regulations required setbacks from wetlands, water table, and a retention pond to collect runoff. Both the PCF and city of Ishpeming compost facilities were not in compliance. Partridge Creek Compost was then created as a sister non-profit organization to apply for grants to build a new compost facility that would meet the new regulations.
We started hauling food waste as a majority of the waste being brought to our site is high in carbon. We need waste that is high in nitrogen and food waste is great for that!
Who do you serve and how can people get in touch with you if they want to start composting?
We serve much of Marquette County in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula through residential, commercial, and institutional composting. Households can compost at home with our curbside bucket service. Businesses receive larger bins with scheduled pickups for bulk organics, and we partner with the local university, our largest customer. In addition to accepting compostable organics, we produce and sell finished thermal compost or vermicompost to area farms, businesses, and homeowners. For those interested in getting started, or learning more, visit our website to sign up and see how it works—new customers and the compost-curious are always welcome.
How much organic material do you typically take in on a weekly basis?
About 12 tons.
Feel free to add any additional information about your operation as you see fit.
Partridge Creek Compost is unique for maintaining an outdoor industrial operation in the Upper Peninsula’s harsh climate. We initially questioned how the process would handle the cold, but our piles have consistently stayed warm from microbial activity—allowing us to work year-round.
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