Michigan published the MI Healthy Climate Plan in 2022, setting a goal to cut food waste in half by 2030. Now that we’re at the halfway point, it’s time to take stock of what’s been accomplished and what’s still ahead.
In Michigan, 20% of landfill waste is food. We have the fourth highest number of landfills in the country and rank in the top 10 for methane emissions. While we don’t yet know how much food waste volume has changed over the past few years, we do know there’s more activity than ever to meet the 2030 goal.
Across the state, new municipal food scrap drop-off programs are launching every month. Cities like Royal Oak, Lansing, Portage, and Detroit are already on board and Southfield and Farmington are coming soon. Large institutions such as Corewell Health are investing in cutting their food waste, and Too Good To Go is helping restaurants sell surplus food at the end of the day. The Michigan Organics Council continues to push for expanded processing infrastructure, while the MI 2030 Food Waste Coalition is bringing together educators, rescue organizations, and composting groups to speed up progress. We’re also seeing innovation in food donations and widespread adoption of share tables in schools. All of this has helped raise the profile of food waste reduction with local governments, the media, and food businesses.
Of course, there’s still plenty of work to do to reduce and divert food waste at scale:
- Policy: Proven best practices from other states include food waste diversion requirements, tax credits for food donation, and increased disposal fees.
- Funding: Investing in education and infrastructure can reduce environmental impacts while redirecting more food to people who need it.
- Local action: Households are the largest source of food waste. Simply adding food scraps to existing yard waste collection can make a huge difference in reducing landfill volume.
With just four years to go, your voice and actions matter more than ever. Start by keeping food from going to waste at home. Urge your local municipality to update waste hauling contracts to include dedicated food scrap collection. And support the businesses and nonprofits in your community working to keep food out of landfills.Want to get more involved? Reach out to us—we’ll connect you with the tools and resources to make real change for Michigan.
