Chicago, State of Illinois take steps
to keep food out of landfills
"Chicago’s food scraps could soon become gold for farmers across the state, as state legislators weigh a bill that would legalize commercial composting of food scraps.
"At the same time, the Chicago Department of Environment is reviewing bids to build an organic waste facility that will cut back the city’s landfill waste and modernize the way we look at food scraps.
"'We need to be reducing what we can, and keeping as much as we can out of landfills,' says State Sen. Heather Steans (D-Chicago), who is sponsoring the bill. Currently, more than a third of the state’s landfill waste is organic material.*
"Steans’ bill, SB99, which is set to be introduced to the state Senate this week, would allow composting of organic waste, while differentiating food scraps from garbage. [This story was published on March 10. Track the bill's progress here. --Ed.]
"Composting facilities would still have to abide by some state environmental regulations. But others, notably pollution control requirements, would be relaxed to enable more widespread recycling of organic materials. Steans says that's because the facilities reduce carbon dioxide emissions and don’t emit pollution.
"Supporters say the plan is good news for the environment, and especially for farmland in Illinois, which has suffered from a lack of fertile topsoil.
"'We have good soil here, but water and wind erosion are definitely washing the bulk of it away,' says Nancy Kreith, Cook County program coordinator for the University of Illinois extension. Adding nutrient-rich compost to the clay-like soil found across Illinois could only help farmers, she says."
* See this story about composting in New York, where organic material makes up 16 percent of the city's waste.
"At the same time, the Chicago Department of Environment is reviewing bids to build an organic waste facility that will cut back the city’s landfill waste and modernize the way we look at food scraps.
"'We need to be reducing what we can, and keeping as much as we can out of landfills,' says State Sen. Heather Steans (D-Chicago), who is sponsoring the bill. Currently, more than a third of the state’s landfill waste is organic material.*
"Steans’ bill, SB99, which is set to be introduced to the state Senate this week, would allow composting of organic waste, while differentiating food scraps from garbage. [This story was published on March 10. Track the bill's progress here. --Ed.]
"Composting facilities would still have to abide by some state environmental regulations. But others, notably pollution control requirements, would be relaxed to enable more widespread recycling of organic materials. Steans says that's because the facilities reduce carbon dioxide emissions and don’t emit pollution.
"Supporters say the plan is good news for the environment, and especially for farmland in Illinois, which has suffered from a lack of fertile topsoil.
"'We have good soil here, but water and wind erosion are definitely washing the bulk of it away,' says Nancy Kreith, Cook County program coordinator for the University of Illinois extension. Adding nutrient-rich compost to the clay-like soil found across Illinois could only help farmers, she says."
* See this story about composting in New York, where organic material makes up 16 percent of the city's waste.
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