Compost | City of Ann Arbor

Seasonal Highlights

Food Scrap Drop-Off Bins Have Launched

Don't have access to curbside composting? You're invited to apply!

The city has installed food scrap drop-off bins at three locations in Ann Arbor to make composting more accessible for residents without curbside service.

Learn More and Apply for Food Scrap Drop-Off Bins

Residents of single-family homes are encouraged to use the curbside composting service for their food scraps. Just like the drop-off bins, all food scraps are accepted in compost carts.

Pumpkin Composting

Don't trash your pumpkins! Compost them in your backyard, curbside compost cart, or at a nearby drop-off site.

No matter which option suits you, please remember that tea lights, paint, glitter, and other non-organic decorations cannot be composted. If you're unable to remove decorations, place the pumpkin in the trash.

Backyard Composting: Have a backyard composting system? Add your pumpkins to the pile! To help them break down faster, cut or break pumpkins into smaller pieces first.
Curbside Compost Carts: Pumpkins can be placed right in your curbside compost cart. If you live in a single-family home and do not have a cart, please contact City Customer Service to request one.
Ann Arbor Compost Facility Drop-Off: City residents are welcome to drop off pumpkins directly at the Ann Arbor Compost Facility at no charge. The facility is located at 4170 Platt Road and is open Monday–Friday, 7AM–4PM.
Washtenaw County Pumpkin Drop-Off Sites: Six local farms in Washtenaw County are accepting pumpkin drop-offs to help feed farm animals or produce compost. Visit the Washtenaw County Composting page for more information.

Please note that pumpkins are not accepted in the new food scrap drop-off bins. Due to limited capacity and our priority of collecting food scraps, we ask that drop-off bin participants use an alternative option for pumpkins.

Residential Compost Carts

The city offers single-family residential properties one free 64-gallon compost cart.

The first 64-gallon compost cart is free to new customers, new construction or newly annexed properties.
One-time $67 fee for each additional compost cart at the same address, which is added to the quarterly water bill.
$61 service fee for the delivery or pickup of additional carts, return of unwanted carts, or cart exchanges.
$29 to power wash all returned carts.
$65 to return to service each cart not set out on time.
$62 if an unserviceable cart remains unserviceable upon return.

To order a cart and arrange for pick up or delivery, please contact the customer service center at 734.994.7336 or via customerservice@a2gov.org.

Carts exceeding 224 pounds for the 64-gallon, or 336 pounds for the 96-gallon size will not be serviced.

Cart Collection Schedule

Weekly compost cart collection ends Friday, Dec. 11, 2026. After the final weekly collection, service will pause for the remainder of December before transitioning to monthly collection in January.

Compost carts are collected year-round, with weekly service in the spring, summer, and fall. During the winter months of January, February, and March, compost carts are collected monthly. Monthly collection typically occurs during the first full week of each month, unless a holiday interferes.

For more details and tips on winter collection, please refer to the Winter Curbside Collection page.

What can I place in my compost cart?

Acceptable Materials

Plate scrapings & food waste (including meat & bones)*
Coffee grounds & paper filters*
Food-soiled paper*
CMA-W certified, fiber-only products*
Grass clippings*
Leaves & brush
Branches less than 6 inches diameter (must fit in cart with lid closed)
Unpainted, untreated lumber (must fit in cart with lid closed)
Weeds
Undecorated & cut up Christmas trees
Garden pruning, garden surplus, crab apples, etc.
Used, cool wood ashes make great garden and flower bed fertilizer. If you aren't able to use them there, then please place in compost cart.

*Items for compost carts only.

Composting Guidelines (PDF)

Unacceptable Materials

Plastic bags or containers
BPI certified or other "compostable" plastic like products
Bamboo or palm leaf products
Glass
Trash and recyclables
Dirt, rocks, stones or gravel
Sawdust
Branches over 6 inches in diameter or over 4 feet in length
Painted or treated wood
Animal waste or cat litter
Tree stumps
Diapers

Paper Yard Bags and Bundled Branches/Brush

Paper yard bags and bundled brush/tree limbs can be used for yard trimmings such as leaves, weeds and other vegetation. Curbside collection is available from spring through fall, with bag limits varying by season.

2026 Schedule and Bag Limits

April–Oct. 2, 2026 (Spring–Early Fall): Limit of 10 bags per property
Oct. 5–Dec. 11, 2026 (Fall Leaf Season): Increased limit of 20 bags per property
Dec. 11–Spring 2027 (Winter): No service of bags or bundles; cart service continues monthly

Each bag must weigh less than 50 pounds.

Branches, Tree Limbs, and Brush

Branches, tree limbs and brush must be tied into bundles with natural twine for curbside collection. Bundles must be less than 4 feet long and no larger than 18 inches in diameter. Individual branches in bundles must not exceed 6 inches in diameter.

Collection Guidelines

Material must be placed at the curb before 7 a.m. on your weekly waste collection day.
Bags and bundles must be placed at least 3 feet away from curbside carts.
Do not place bags in roads or bike lanes. Use yard extensions or buffer zones as directed.

Dumping yard trimmings/waste in parks or other public places is prohibited. Please make use of the drop-off facility mentioned below.

Compost Facility and Drop-Offs

The Ann Arbor Compost Facility is located at 4170 Platt Road and is operated by WeCare Denali.

Facility Hours

The facility is open Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. - 4 p.m. Additional Saturday hours from 7 a.m. - 11 a.m. are available during the spring and early summer for residential compost pick-up only.

Free Drop-Off for Residents

Ann Arbor residents may drop off up to 1 cubic yard of acceptable yard trimmings and food scraps per household per day at no charge. See below for more information on unlimited fall leaf drop-offs.

A valid driver's license showing a City of Ann Arbor address is required. Residents must use the automated scale system to weigh in but may exit using the bypass lane without weighing out.

Contractors and other commercial customers must weigh both in and out.

Unlimited Leaf Drop-Off Season

During the fall leaf season, Ann Arbor residents and their landscapers may drop off unlimited leaves at the compost facility at no charge.

For the 2026 season, unlimited leaf drop-off is available from Oct. 5 through Dec. 11.

To drop off, visitors must provide verification of Ann Arbor residency. Leaves from properties outside the City of Ann Arbor do not qualify for this free service.

Acceptable Drop-Off Materials

Grass, leaves, other vegetation – must be clean and free of brush/wood
Mixed yard trimmings/brush/pallets (no plywood or OSB)
Wood chips – must be clean
Branches up to 6 inches in diameter, and up to 4 feet in length
Food waste – including meat & bones

Materials for Sale

Compost
Natural wood mulch
Pallet mulch
Woodchips

Payments may be made by check or credit card only. Please call WeCare Denali at 410-849-6117 for current fees and pricing. No cash accepted.

Free Compost

Residents are invited to pick up free compost on select Saturdays each spring. The 2026 free compost season ended on June 27, 2026, and free compost is no longer available.

The program typically runs from early April through the end of June on Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m., or while supplies last. Check back as spring 2027 approaches for next year's schedule.

Compost is available free only during the scheduled Saturday giveaway events. Outside of these events, compost may be purchased.

Each household may collect up to 1 cubic yard of compost per year, which is approximately 6½ yard bags or 40 five-gallon buckets.

Residents must:

Bring their own shovels and containers.
Load the material themselves (staff assistance is not available).
Present a valid driver's license showing a City of Ann Arbor address.

Tips

Old grass clippings and food scraps can produce strong odors, especially during our hottest months. You can prevent odors by following these tips:

Sprinkle baking soda in compost cart and in your kitchen composter.
Store compost cart in the shade during warm weather..
Empty the contents of kitchen composter into your compost cart frequently.
Drain as much liquid as possible from food scraps before adding them to compost.
For extra-smelly food scraps: wrap in newspaper before placing in cart or put in the freezer until collection day.
Layer food scraps in between yard trimmings.
Rinse out kitchen composter and compost cart before materials build up.
Spray inside of compost cart with a vinegar and water solution.

For winter composting, the colder temperatures mean changing up how to put material in carts. To prevent materials from freezing to your cart, follow these tips:

Drain as much liquid as possible from food scraps.
Place an opened paper yard-waste bag inside of the compost cart to catch food scraps.
Place a couple pieces of flattened cardboard (1-2 large pizza boxes are perfect) at the bottom of the compost cart before adding waste. This buffer at the bottom of the cart allows the materials to slide out more easily and not freeze to the cart.
Place materials in a paper or CMA-W certified bag from the city's list and into your compost cart. It is advised that food scraps be double bagged during the winter to prevent them from freezing to the cart.
Wrap wet items (e.g., coffee grounds, melon rinds) in 1-2 sheets of compostable paper towels before placing into the compost cart.

If material is frozen to the cart when the city attempts service, it will not be serviced again until the first full week of the following month.

There are ways to manage yard waste without yard bags or compost carts! Here are a few alternatives to disposing of compost material at the curb:

Use a mulching mower to feed grass clippings and leaves back into your lawn.
Create a compost pile. Washtenaw County's composting webpage can teach you the basics of getting started.
Loose leaves can be left on the ground. They return nutrients to trees while providing cover for important pollinators, fireflies, and other insects.
Create a dead wood garden with limbs and branches you might otherwise discard. Even that old holiday tree you pulled out of your house could be used. These gardens not only fertilize the underlying soil, they become homes for beneficial insects, birds and fungi.
Consider replacing your grass with a rain garden stocked with native plants! This means no mowing and little maintenance. Rain gardens have the added benefit of capturing pollution before it entering our streams and rivers, as well as helping replenish groundwater supplies. As a bonus, adding a rain garden can help you save money by making you eligible for a stormwater credit!

Leaf Burning: Illegal and Bad for Your Health

Burning leaves produces particulate matter that is harmful to human health and the environment. The State of Michigan and City of Ann Arbor law make it illegal to burn leaves within city limits.