Township issues stop-work order at compost site

Cocoa Corp. has been the site of foul odors, source of many complaints.

Laketown Township officials posted the stop-work order, shown in orange, on the door of a building at Cocoa Corp., 4368 60th St., on Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026.

Laketown Township issued a stop-work order on Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, to Cocoa Corp., the composting site that has been the source of foul odors and resident complaints for more than a year. This marks the township’s increasing pressure on the facility at 4368 60th St.

The order states Cocoa Corp. is in violation of Article XI Chapter 36 Sec. 38-34 of the Zoning Ordinance stating “any use of a lot or land which is begun, maintained or changed in violation of any term of provision of this chapter, is hereby declared to be a nuisance per se.”

Violation is a misdemeanor.

The notice was delivered by township officials about 2:50 p.m.

No one was in the building where the notice was affixed. Owner Adam Brent was not seen on the site. A worker in a front-end loader was told by a township official of the stop-work order. He drove to the building and read the notice.

On June 3, the township planning commission terminated the approval for Cocoa Corp. to operate its composting options on the premises of Republic Services due to foul odors. The termination was to be effective immediately.

Cocoa has not vacated the site and has continued operations despite contact from township officials.

Republic leases part of its site to Cocoa. Republic and Cocoa are involved in a lawsuit in Allegan County Circuit Court over Cocoa’s operation. The judge has ruled the township and the state Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy have jurisdiction over Cocoa’s operations.

“We appreciate the township taking this key enforcement action against Cocoa but there’s still more to do if we’re going to resolve this problem,” Tom Mahoney, Republic Services general manager, said the Aug. 12 Laketown Township Board of Trustees meeting. “We are concerned that even with the stop-work order, odors may continue to negatively impact township residents.”

Mahoney asked the township to make sure no new material is brought to Cocoa, that all unprocessed materials on site are brought to another location, that Cocoa complies with all permits and laws during its closure, and the township ensures Cocoa cleans up the site.

He asked the township to use its enforcement powers to do what is necessary.

“We stand ready to work with the township in any way necessary,” he said.