A world leader in organic nitrogen fertilizers?  You’ve got to “own” that reputation, right? Milorganite –  Milwaukee Organic Nitrogen – is a brand of pellet fertilizer produced at Jones Island Water Reclamation Facility just under the expansive Hoan Bridge in Milwaukee, and sold throughout the U.S., Canada, and the Caribbean.

The history of Milorganite began with the goal of early city fathers to clean up our rivers and Lake Michigan. Since 1924, the sludge remaining from the city’s waste water has been collected and processed at the water treatment plant, leaving a nitrogen and phosphorus rich byproduct which is heat-dried and pelletized for use as fertilizer for residential and commercial use.

One of the first commercial uses of Milorganite was in the development of the turfgrass industry. In collaboration with the soils testing labs of the University of Wisconsin’s School of Agriculture, Milorganite was found to have superior results with turf maintenance, increasingly important due to the boom in the nation’s golf courses starting in the 1930’s.

Besides all manner of commercial purposes, Milorganite today remains a top-selling fertilizer that can be safely used to grow vigorous lawns and gardens.

Milorganite production is one of the nation's longest-running recycling programs. We’re proud to say that since 1926, 9.8 billion lbs. of waste has been diverted from landfills!