From Go Green Kenilworth:

  • Organic waste makes up 25% – 50% of what people throw away, so composting food scraps and yard waste can substantially decrease the amount of waste that we send to our rapidly-filling landfills.
  • More than a third of food produced in America becomes food waste.
  • In 2015 alone, more than 39 million tons of food waste was generated, with only 5.3% diverted from landfills and incinerators for composting. EPA estimates that more food reaches landfills and incinerators than any other single material in our everyday trash, constituting 22% of discarded municipal solid waste. (gov)
  • The decay of food waste in landfills is not the only source of greenhouse gases. The resources needed to produce the food also have a carbon footprint. Globally, the effect of processing the food that is wasted is equal to about 3.3 billion tons of CO2. (Climate Central)

Think of all the waste we can keep out of our trash and our landfills by filling a compost bin instead.

Service providers in Illinois are listed at Illinoiscomposts.com and Illinois Food Scrap Coalition.

Check the resources section for an overview of compost programs in some local municipalities.