Carter's Compost

10/15/2026

🍽️ Restaurants and food businesses generate food scraps every day. What if those scraps could become part of a local composting system instead of going straight into the trash?

Carter's provides collection carts for businesses and swaps them out as part of the collection service.

For restaurants, cafés, offices, and other businesses, separating food scraps can turn a daily waste stream into something that goes back to the soil. 🌱

10/13/2026

🏡 Composting at home doesn't have to mean managing your own backyard pile.

With Carter's residential pickup service, subscribers receive a collection bucket for their kitchen scraps. You fill it throughout the week, and Carter's takes care of the collection and composting process.

It's a simple way to make composting part of your routine without having to build or manage your own compost pile. Ready to make your food scraps count? 🌿

10/09/2026

🌱 Composting can be local. Really local.

Organic materials don't necessarily need to travel far to become compost. EPA describes composting as a fundamentally local process, with organic materials often collected and processed near where they are generated.

That's part of what makes community composting so meaningful. Food scraps from local homes and businesses can become part of a local cycle, helping keep organic materials in the community and supporting local soil.

10/07/2026

Food waste is more than something we throw away. 🌎 In the U.S., food is the single largest material found in landfills, making up about 24% of municipal solid waste sent there. When food breaks down in a landfill without oxygen, it can generate methane.

Composting gives those food scraps another destination. Instead of treating them as trash, we can collect them, compost them, and return the finished compost to the soil. That's why keeping food scraps out of the landfill matters. ♻️

10/05/2026

Did You Know? 💧

Compost helps soil hold onto water. When compost is added to soil, it can improve the way soil holds and manages moisture, helping keep water available to plants for longer.

This is one of the many ways compost can benefit gardens and landscapes beyond reducing food waste. 🌱 By returning organic matter to the soil, compost helps create a better environment for plants to grow.

10/01/2026

Compost needs air, too.

Many of the microorganisms involved in aerobic composting need oxygen to do their work. When a pile becomes too compacted or doesn't have enough airflow, decomposition can slow and unpleasant odors may develop.

That is why turning or managing the structure of a compost pile matters. Good airflow helps create better conditions for the organisms responsible for aerobic decomposition. 🌱

09/29/2026

What happens to your food scraps after they're collected?

Instead of becoming part of the trash stream, food scraps can enter a managed composting process where they are broken down over time. Once the process is complete, the finished compost can be returned to the land and used in gardens, landscapes, and other growing spaces.

It's a simple example of turning something we consider waste into something that can be useful again. ♻️

09/25/2026

There are so many reasons why we love what we do! An entrepreneur's journey can be filled with uncertainty and risks, but we know we are working toward the right goals in our community, and that brings us so much peace and motivation!

“I always wanted to be an entrepreneur because I wanted to solve problems for myself and achieve bigger goals,” shares Megan Alexander, Owner of Carter's Compost.

“I have a degree in Supply Chain Management, so my brain naturally processes logistics and piecing puzzles together,” she says. Combined with her prior experience in business and tech startups, Megan was well positioned to buy Carter’s Compost in 2022.

She has since grown the operation substantially: over the past four years, the composting company has expanded from 6,000 pounds collected annually to over 125,000 pounds collected annually. Megan is ready to grow her team and establish a wholly-owned processing operation, which will put the business on pace to beat that collection record again this year.

“I'm very proud of the impact we’re having in our local area when it comes to how everyday people and businesses look at waste. My hope is that Carter's Compost will keep our region green and blue and beautiful,” she reflects.

Megan is currently figuring out how to secure the funding required to access more land and equipment to enable further growth. Megan hopes this rapid growth will attract new partnerships in the region.

“Jump into things with both feet forward and know what risks you're taking, but don't overthink them,” she advises other entrepreneurs. “If you don't try, you'll never know if it will work.”

Trying can feel easier when working with organizations like 20Fathoms, which offers educational training, mentorship, and networking opportunities through programs like the weekly Breakfast Labs and the Small Business Support Hub grant, which Megan has taken advantage of. She also relied on a statewide grant to purchase a new electric pickup vehicle.

20Fathoms exists to help entrepreneurs like Megan scale their business and impact in Northern Michigan and beyond.

09/23/2026

What exactly is happening when food scraps become compost?

Composting is a controlled process of decomposition. Microorganisms and other decomposers break down organic materials into simpler materials over time. Temperature, moisture, oxygen, and the materials in the pile all influence how the process works.

So when a banana peel disappears from your compost, it hasn't simply vanished. It has gone through a natural process of transformation. 🌎

09/21/2026

You might have noticed we are super into compost these days. These kids will tell you why!