Master Composter Class

Master Composter Certification Class

Become a certified master composter in Washtenaw County! Learn all about composting - from backyard composting, vermiculture (worms!), compost tea, and soils. Take a guided, technical tour of the Ann Arbor Municipal compost operation and receive a comprehensive binder of class and composting reference materials. A take home quiz is worked on collaboratively. Michigan Master Composter certification is available for students who pass the take-home exam and complete at least 10 volunteer hours in the community. 

The Master Composter Certification class is collaboratively organized by Project Grow, Washtenaw County and the Ann Arbor Public Schools (AAPS) Recreation and Education Program. Not sure if the class is right for you? View the 2019 class flyer 

2022 Compost Class Alternative

The official Washtenaw County Master Composter course will not be held in 2022, but the certification teachers have found an alternate online course that can be enrolled in at a group discount rate as a temporary replacement. Students who complete the course 

The Institute for Local Self Reliance (ILSR) Community Composting 101 Course is a self-paced, series of online video webinars including supplemental resources. The seven training modules typically run 25 to 35 minutes each and total 3.5 hours. To receive a certificate, students watch each video-based module, complete a 5-question multiple-choice quiz for each unit, and pass the final exam. 

As a special offer through 2022, a $50 group rate for the Community Composting 101 webinar series is available. If interested, please contact Nancy Stone at [email protected] and the Michigan Master Composters of Washtenaw County will sponsor your $50 discount application.

The Master Composter teachers plan to schedule an in-person session for interested students who complete the ILSR course in order to provide a local, hands-on outdoor composting experience and an opportunity to exchange project ideas. We hope to resume the in-person Michigan Master Composter training in the fall of 2023. If you’ve been eager to launch a community composting project or pilot, the ILSR training could be the missing step needed to build your great idea into a successful venture 

Additional Resources

Other Classes and Instruction Opportunities

• Project Grow Community Gardens: classes are periodically offered for in-person and online learning experiences. Check for upcoming sessions.
• MSU Extension: Beth Clawson, Extension Educator, is the editor of the second edition of the Michigan Master Composter Certification Manual and offered zoom-only compost classes in 2020. She may repeat these zoom classes along with some limited in-person activities conducted outside Washtenaw County. Email [email protected] for more information.
• Southeastern Oakland County Water Authority: Lillian Dean is offering zoom classes and some hands-on composting demonstrations in the SOCWA gardens in Royal Oak. Find more information on the SOCWA website. 
• Michigan State University Coop Extension posts composting classes and videos:https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/compost_your_yard_waste 
• Washtenaw County Master Rain Gardener online training and certification program. Free. https://www.washtenaw.org/675/Master-Rain-Gardener-Class 
• Institute for Local Self Reliance Soil Rebuilders website provides articles, case studies, webinars, site signage, and more for community composting. 

Select Videos

• Lisa Perschke’s 5-gallon bucket compost bin video from the Ann Arbor Summer Festival workshop 2020 (20 minutes).
• Kiss the Ground - inspiring background to the vital roles of compost and microorganisms through the lens of regenerative agriculture. 
  • The Soil Story by Kiss the Ground (4 minutes) Carbon sequestration explained with animation 
• The Compost Story narrated by Rosario Dawson and friends (~7 minutes)   
• The Soil Story with Detroit urban farmer. Pashon Murray of Detroit Dirt narrates this video about soil and its potential to reverse climate change. (3 minutes) 
• List of Regenerative Agriculture courses, workshops, and webinars           
• Soils & the World Beneath Our Feet - Online Course - FutureLearnClass from Kiss the Ground partner, 6 sessions available from Lancaster University.
• Living Soil Documentary film, free 1 hour documentary.
• US Composting Council backyard compost and vermiculture educational resources and links

For Current & Former Students

Local Volunteer Opportunities (PDF)