Chicagoans Kept Nearly 300 Tons of Food Out of Landfills Thanks to City Composting Program
Published Online: January 14, 2025
Written by: Robert Cassidy
"There are 20 drop-off locations around the city featuring bright green bins. The waste is turned into compost, helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
CHICAGO — The Department of Streets and Sanitation sent more than 723,000 tons of residential trash to landfills between January and November of last year, including more than 173,000 tons of food waste. That’s more than 555 pounds per household.
But more than 6,000 Chicagoans have signed up for the city’s Food Scrap Drop-off program since its launch in October 2023, composting more than 295 tons of food scraps through the end of November 2024, the city reported.
It’s a modest beginning, but “if you don’t start somewhere, how would anything ever change?” said Joan Conover, a retired Edgewater neighbor who uses the green composting bins at 5853 N. Broadway.
The consensus among early adopters is that recycling food scraps has been worth the effort. ..."
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