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All Scraps: Food and Tires

For Friday, May 2, 2025

1 – A Detroit nonprofit called Make Food Not Waste has an initiative to cut Michigan’s food waste in half by 2030. 

They aim to divert a significant portion of the state’s 2 billion pounds of annual food waste from landfills. 

The strategy focuses on Southeast Michigan’s 15 most populated cities, which generate about 750 million pounds of food waste a year. 

Photo by Eva Bronzini on Pexels.com

The organization’s approach has three prongs: 

  • Reduce the amount of food waste produced in the first place
  • Increase food donations to help those in need
  • Ensure everyone has access to food scrap recycling.

A notable milestone in their plan is a blueprint with the city of Southfield, detailing steps to achieve zero food waste. 

Leaders say this model can serve as a template for other cities. 

For more information or to get involved, see makefoodnotwaste.org.

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2 – Speaking of food waste, there’s a Give a Scrap Food Scrap Pickup Service available in Bay City, Saginaw and Birch Run. 

It’s subscription-based and available to households on a weekly schedule. 

Food scraps collected include those from vegetables and fruit, egg shells and coffee grounds.

The scraps are delivered to an earthworm farm where they’re pre-composted before being fed to worms.

More information is online at IrisWDS.com.

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3 – Mark your calendars and fight the mosquitoes. May 31 is the date for a Scrap Tire Drive put on by Bay County Mosquito Control. 

Mosquitoes love to breed in old tires that collect water in backyards and elsewhere. 

You can help eliminate the buzzy breeding sites on Saturday, May 31, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. by turning in those old tires at Mosquito Control on Livingston Street in Bay City. 

There’s a limit of 10 tires per home. Only passenger car-sized, rimless tires or smaller will be accepted. A photo ID or proof of Bay County residence is required.

The drive is funded through a state grant. 

– Mr. Great Lakes is heard at 6:45 and 8:45 Friday mornings on Delta College Public Radio 90.1 FM WUCX in University Center, Michigan, near Bay City (listen live). Follow @jeffkart on Twitter #MrGreatLakes

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