Chicago Residents Compost 295 Tons of Food Waste Following Citywide ProgramChicago Residents Compost 295 Tons of Food Waste Following Citywide Program

Since launching in October 2023, more than 6,000 Chicago residents have signed up for the city’s Food Scrap Drop-off program, composting nearly 300 tons of food through the end of November 2024.

January 15, 2025

1 Min Read
Clynt Garnham Environmental / Alamy Stock Photo

Since launching in October 2023, more than 6,000 Chicago residents have signed up for the city’s Food Scrap Drop-off program, composting nearly 300 tons of food through the end of November 2024.

“People are following the rules extremely well,” said Chris Sauve, Streets and San’s deputy commissioner for policy and sustainability. “There’s almost no contamination.”

Streets and Sanitation crews collect waste from 20 drop-off spots around the city, taking the materials to a Republic Services holding facility. That waste is then transported to the Harbor View Composting Facility, the only actively operated Illinois EPA-permitted facility in Chicago.

Once at the facility, the food waste is ground up to accelerate the decomposition process and mixed with yard waste. From there, the waste pile is worked by a machine to provide oxygen and bacteria so the pile can break down the food scraps.

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