Chicago announced its first city-wide composting program Monday, with 15 drop-off locations for residents to help make the city greener, according to a news release.
“Diverting food scraps for composting is one of the easiest and most impactful ways for individuals and cities to address the climate crisis,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said. “As we bring composting options to all Chicago residents, we can reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions that occur when organic food material decomposes in a landfill, return organic materials to the earth, and most importantly, create healthier communities across our great city.”
The city had previously announced a composting pilot program under former Mayor Lori Lightfoot in 2022 after a 2021 city report found composting was a way to improve the city’s waste management. Compost can be used to build healthy soil.
Johnson’s proposed 2024 budget highlighted a $25 million commitment to climate initiatives, including $6 million for the city’s composting system.
Chris Sauve, deputy commissioner for sustainability and policy at the Department of Streets and Sanitation, said the plan for the food scrap drop-off was put into place after talking to officials in other cities, including Minneapolis, New York City and Washington, where similar programs exist.
Sauve said DSS is still learning how exactly this program will function in Chicago. DSS will also track the impact of the drop-off locations by looking at sign-ups to see where more community outreach is needed, as well as measuring the weight of materials composted.
“We really want to understand what these impacts could be, what the desires are from the residents to see these kinds of programs in their communities,” Sauve said.
The city has plans for broader composting efforts, Sauve said, including a hope to reintroduce a backyard composting program, as well as a pumpkin composting program in November after Halloween.
Though DSS is not yet sure what the next step for the compost will be after it’s processed, Sauve said he hopes the compost can be reintroduced to the city.
Want to participate? Here’s How
To participate, residents should acquire a container with a tight lid to store their food scraps in order to avoid pests. To further prevent smells, residents can keep their compost bin in the fridge or freezer.
To find the nearest food scraps drop-off location near you, residents can use the city’s interactive map on the city’s website.
The 15 drop-off sites are:
- Morgan Park – 11059 S. Homewood Ave.
- Englewood – 611 W. 69th St.
- West Englewood – 1756 W. 74th St.
- West Edelson – 3720 W. 55th St.
- Grand Boulevard – 4352 S. Cottage Grove Ave.
- Brighton Park – 3359 S. Maplewood Ave.
- Near South Side – 1758 S. Clark St.
- Lower West Side – 1944 W. Cullerton St.
- West Town – 2505 W. Grand Ave.
- Logan Square –2460 W Cortland.
- Belmont Cragin – 5605 W. Grand Ave.
- Avondale – 3143 N. Rockwell St.
- Bowmanville – 5333 N. Western Ave.
- Irving Park – 4605 W. Lawrence Ave.
- Norwood Park – 6453 W. Higgins Ave.
Accepted materials at these sites include fruit and vegetable scraps, cooked food, meat, fish, bones, dairy, eggshells, bread, grains, coffee grounds and tea leaves.
Residents should not compost bags of any kind, even if they are compostable, pet waste, napkins, paper, food ware, packaging, yard waste, pizza boxes, liquids, produce stickers and rubber bands, according to the city.
To compost, residents can empty their food scraps into one of the green carts at a drop-off location. Each site is open every day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
DSS will collect the food scraps and take them to the Harbor View Composting Facility, where they will be processed into compost.
For more information on the program or to find the location closest to you, visit the city’s website.
