Ann Arbor food scrap drop-off bins now stand at three city locations, with the Farmers Market among them, for residents who have no curbside compost cart. The bins stay locked. Residents of multi-family housing in the City of Ann Arbor apply online, wait for approval and then open the bins with a mobile app or an emailed code (City of Ann Arbor).

Photo: The Ann Arbor Farmers Market on a summer market day. Michael Barera, 2013-08-17. CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source. Resized for web.

Where the three bins are

The City of Ann Arbor announced the bins on October 1, 2026:

  1. Ann Arbor Farmers Market, 315 Detroit St.: on the northeast corner of Detroit Street and North Fifth Avenue, across from the market.
  2. Traverwood Branch Library, 3333 Traverwood Dr.: between the parking lot and the sidewalk off Traverwood Drive, near the flagpole.
  3. Esch Park, 2705 Esch Ave.: between the sidewalk and Esch Avenue, near the basketball court.

The street addresses come from the program page (City of Ann Arbor).

Who can use them

Only approved participants can open the bins. For now the city approves residents of multi-family housing within the City of Ann Arbor, because the program is meant for households without curbside cart collection. The city says it may add drop-off locations and wider access later.

Residents of single-family homes are pointed to the city’s curbside composting program instead. A single-family resident who wants updates can start the application and leave an email address for notifications (City of Ann Arbor).

How to sign up

  1. Apply online at a2gov.org/foodscraps.
  2. Allow three business days for the city to review the application and answer by email.
  3. Follow the unlocking instructions in the approval email. Residents without a smartphone can reply to that email and ask for a key code.
  4. Collect scraps at home and take them to the nearest bin.

Filing the application does not unlock the bins right away (City of Ann Arbor).

What goes in the bins

Scraps go in loose or in brown paper bags (City of Ann Arbor).

  • Yes:
    • All food scraps and plate scrapings
    • Meat, bones and seafood
    • Fruits and vegetables
    • Eggs, eggshells and solid dairy
    • Bread, pasta and grains
    • Coffee grounds and paper coffee filters
    • Loose tea
    • Cut flowers and small houseplants
  • No:
    • Tea bags

The scraps are composted at the Ann Arbor Compost Facility. Each spring, every Ann Arbor resident can take back up to one cubic yard of finished compost; the city posts the details at a2gov.org/compost in the spring (City of Ann Arbor).

Free starter kits

Any city resident can get a free starter kit: a food scrap caddy, compostable paper bags and reusable “Eat First” stickers. Applicants can reserve one in the application. The city’s Solid Waste booth hands them out at the Ann Arbor Farmers Market on Wednesdays from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. through October 28, 2026; walk-ups are welcome while kits last (City of Ann Arbor).

What this is not

The drop-off bins are not the city’s curbside compost cart. Single-family homes keep using the curbside program, which also accepts all food scraps (City of Ann Arbor). The bins are not open to the public either: a bin opens only for an approved participant.