Autumn Hills Landfill

Autumn Hills Landfill provides safe and convenient disposal services for communities, businesses and industries throughout Zeeland Township and Ottawa County. 

WM: Who We Are

As North America’s largest provider of sustainability and environmental solutions, we’ve enabled sustainability progress for businesses and cities across the country for decades. 

Now, our industry-leading sustainability vision will drive transformative impact for our customers and the communities where we live and work. Leveraging our infrastructure, world-class operations, and expertise, we’re focusing our strategy on three bold ambitions: materials are repurposed, energy is renewable, and communities are thriving. 

To achieve these ambitions: We’re evolving waste and recycling solutions to expand the reuse of materials, giving new life to things we no longer use, and lessening our collective footprint. We’re making landmark investments in innovative technologies that turn waste into new forms of energy, which can be used to power our trucks and your homes. We are empowering the communities where we live and work with knowledge and resources so they can thrive within clean, resilient environments. Together, we’re reinventing what’s possible.

About Autumn Hills

Site Overview

  • • Autumn Hills, a Type II landfill and disposal facility, was developed in 1992 to manage the solid waste needs of residents and businesses in western Michigan.
  • • Located in Zeeland Township, Ottawa County, Michigan, Autumn Hills is owned and operated by Waste Management of Michigan Inc., and regulated by the Michigan Department of Environment Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE). The site is also included in the Ottawa County Solid Waste Management Plan.
  • • WM has invested millions of dollars to develop Autumn Hills as a modern landfill with a state-of-the-art landfill gas collection and delivery system. This investment has allowed Autumn Hills to harness the renewable energy potential of solid waste and help power the local economy.
  • • Today, the green energy produced at Autumn Hills is the equivalent of powering more than 8,000 homes. Statewide, the green energy generated at WM’s landfills could power more than 70,000 homes.

Community Collaborator

  • • Autumn Hills is an important community partner, contributing to the local economy through host fees, payroll, community donations, and real estate and property taxes.
  • • WM and its employees also provide support to numerous local organizations including:
    • • 50% discount on disposal for Zeeland Township residents
    • • Free recycling for Zeeland Township residents
    • • Zeeland Township Appreciation Banquet
    • • Macataway Greenway Outdoor Discovery School
    • • Fishing for Veterans event
    • • Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce

Environmental Features

Containment Design

Autumn Hills Landfill is constructed predominantly with a composite liner system comprised of a two-foot-thick re-compacted clay liner (or equivalent) overlaying a 150-foot-thick natural clay soil barrier followed by a 60-mil high-density polyethylene liner and a one-foot-thick granular leachate collection layer.

Leachate Collection and Treatment

Leachate is liquid which has come in contact with, passed through, or emerged from, solid waste and which contains soluble, suspended, or miscible materials that are removed from the wastes. Autumn Hills has onsite treatment and disposal of its leachate.

Groundwater Monitoring

The site implements an Environmental Monitoring Program consisting of 12 groundwater monitoring wells, 2 surface water monitoring points, and two gas monitoring probes. All locations are monitored in accordance with EGLE-approved monitoring plans and groundwater samples are analyzed by an independent third-party laboratory. Monitoring reports are submitted to EGLE for review.

Containment Design

Autumn Hills Landfill is constructed predominantly with a composite liner system comprised of a two-foot-thick re-compacted clay liner (or equivalent) overlaying a 150-foot-thick natural clay soil barrier followed by a 60-mil high-density polyethylene liner and a one-foot-thick granular leachate collection layer.

Leachate Collection and Treatment

Leachate is liquid which has come in contact with, passed through, or emerged from, solid waste and which contains soluble, suspended, or miscible materials that are removed from the wastes. Autumn Hills has onsite treatment and disposal of its leachate.

Groundwater Monitoring

The site implements an Environmental Monitoring Program consisting of 12 groundwater monitoring wells, 2 surface water monitoring points, and two gas monitoring probes. All locations are monitored in accordance with EGLE-approved monitoring plans and groundwater samples are analyzed by an independent third-party laboratory. Monitoring reports are submitted to EGLE for review.

Landfill Gas Management - Energy is Renewable

Autumn Hills is a modern landfill that uses a state-of-the-art landfill gas collection system. WM has invested millions of dollars in Autumn Hills and the local economy to capture the methane gas and harness its potential as a green energy source. 

Autumn Hills has collected methane for renewable natural gas since 2005. In 2025, a renewable natural gas (RNG) plant was constructed onsite. This plant captures and upgrades landfill gas into pipeline-quality RNG, a lower-carbon fuel alternative that can power homes, businesses, and vehicles. This facility can produce up to 0.8 billion cubic feet of RNG annually.

Today, the green energy produced at Autumn Hills is the equivalent of powering more than 8,000 homes. Statewide, the green energy generated at WM’s landfills could power more than 70,000 homes.

Only WM

Watch this video to learn more about WM's mission and what sets the service provider apart.

Meet Matt Rosser, District Manager

Hear from District Manager, Matt Rosser, and learn more about Autumn Hills Landfill.

Address & Hours of Operation

Address
700 56th Avenue
Zeeland, MI 49464

Hours of Operation
6:30 am - 4:00 pm
Monday - Friday

7:00 am - 11:30 am
Saturday

Closed
Sunday