Residential Services & Products

Carter's Compost is grounded in its ultimate mission to capture as much organic waste as possible, and turn it into nutritious compost for our community. We have various locations and residential subscription types in the Traverse City area:

Downtown/West Traverse City: Weekly and Biweekly curbside pickup
Old Mission Peninsula: Unlimited drop-off
Sara Hardy Farmers Market: Unlimited drop-off

Join our scrap pickup or drop-off subscription to be a Carter's Compost Champion and help to keep our town green and thriving for years to come!

Subscription Services

Weekly Pickup Subscription

Once a week, you will leave your bucket out on the curb for a Carter's Crewmember to collect the scraps and take it to one of our composting sites: Carter's Downtown/West Traverse City.

$24 per month, includes finished compost

Create Account to Sign Up

Drop-off Subscription

As needed, you’ll bring your food waste to our designated composting site where a Carter's Crewmember will process it.

This option is available for Carter's Old Mission and the Sara Hardy Farmers Market.

$16 per month, includes finished compost

Create Account to Sign Up

Bi-Weekly Pickup Subscription

Every other week, you will leave your bucket out on the curb for a Carter's Crewmember to collect the scraps and take it to one of our composting sites: Carter's Downtown/West Traverse City.

$12 per month, includes finished compost

Create Account to Sign Up

How does the drop-off at the Farmers Market work?

Every market day (Saturdays starting in May, Wednesdays starting in June, through October) you’ll use a Carter's bucket to bring your food waste to our drop-off cart. There you will swap your full bucket for a clean one to start filling again! Monthly subscribers have the option for a full bucket of compost.

Create Account to Sign Up

Products & Other Services

Bucket of Finished Compost

5-gallon buckets of finished compost - your soil and plants will thrive when you add this amendment to your planting spaces.

Shop for Compost

Special Event Pickups

Planning an event with compostable materials? Ask us about special-event pickups and the materials Carter's Compost can accept.

Send us an Email

Custom Education Events

Expand your compost knowledge with a customized education event lead by Carter's Compost. Perfect for any organization wanting to broaden their composting knowledge or implement their own compost process.

Email Us

Backyard "Starter" Bucket

A 5-gallon Carter's "starter" bucket is like a sourdough starter! It is full of mostly broken down materials as well as all of the worms and microbiomes to add to your home composting system.

Shop for Worms

Backyard Pile Consult

Take your composting to the next level with your own setup in your backyard, apartment complex, business, etc. This consult is custom to your situation and goals. Let's connect!

Inquire Here

Composting Equity

Equity Fund Donation

Your donation will subsidize our Equity Fund, making it possible for qualified, low-income composters to participate in our curbside food-waste pickup or drop-off service.

Email us if you'd like to donate more than $10.

Click to Donate $10

Equity Subscription

If your household is currently enrolled in WIC, SNAP EBT or a Bridge Card, or you are receiving Disability or Unemployment, then you can qualify for our Income Equity Rate of $4 a week for curbside pickup, or $3 per week for drop-off.

Please fill out the Application Form below, and we will respond with eligibility and details.

Equity Application