Students at Northern Michigan University are helping to map Marquette County's waste stream and reimagine how communities can keep materials in use longer through the SpheriCity Project. NMU is one of 11 universities selected to participate in the national research initiative, which aims to create a more sustainable approach to materials management.
“Our goals are to understand how we purchase, use and discard products, and to figure out how to keep materials out of our landfills, forests and lakes,” said Rosie Mousseau, an NMU graduate research assistant who is leading the effort. “Most consumer habits follow a linear model; we buy something, use it and throw it away. SpheriCity instead promotes a circular model, encouraging longer product lifespans, reuse and composting—keeping materials circulating through the economy rather than discarded as waste.”
To collect data and paint a complete picture of Marquette County's waste ecosystem, Mousseau and other NMU students used three primary research methods:
· Store Audits: Students surveyed local retailers to document products and their packaging, noting whether sustainable alternatives, such as refillable or compostable items, were available.
· Litter Transects: Teams conducted 100-meter field surveys across Marquette County, collecting and cataloging litter items in a national “Debris Tracker” database.
· Stakeholder Interviews: Students interviewed about 15 community partners, including waste management companies, composting organizations and other local sustainability leaders, to gain insight on how waste is generated, managed and perceived locally.
While the data collection revealed that single-use plastics such as water bottles, convenience food wrappers and shopping bags remain a top contributor to local waste, it also highlighted the community's strong environmental values.
“Both consumers and manufacturers can make positive changes,” Mousseau said. “Consumers can choose reusable or compostable products, and manufacturers can offer alternatives to single-use packaging. We also discovered that intentional littering wasn't the main issue. Most of what we found was accidental, such as trash blown from bins or scattered by animals. Overall, people here care deeply about keeping our community and natural spaces clean. If we can better understand consumption, we can start writing a new story where waste isn't an endpoint, but part of a continuous cycle that sustains our community and environment.”
The NMU SpheriCity team has submitted their findings to national partners for analysis as part of a broader dataset that spans communities across the U.S. Locally, their research has already sparked conversations about circular consumption, responsible purchasing and infrastructure improvements for waste diversion. Mousseau and her peers presented their findings at the Upper Midwest Association for Campus Sustainability conference in Iowa in late September.
Through her involvement in the program, Mousseau said she has developed a deeper appreciation for composting and food waste reduction.
“Even if you don't have a garden, composting makes a difference,” she said. “You produce more food waste than you realize, and returning those nutrients to the soil helps sustain the land for future generations.”
NMU Associate Vice President for Sustainability Jes Thompson praised the project's impact on both student learning and community awareness.
“This work gives our students hands-on experience in sustainability research while helping Marquette County strengthen its waste management systems,” she said. “It's a perfect example of NMU's commitment to environmental stewardship and applied learning.”
Find more information on the SpheriCity Project here.
