What's so important about compost?
Food waste is a pressing environmental concern in Illinois. In Cook County — and in many counties around the state — it accounts for up to 37% of landfill material. But food waste is not just filling up municipal dump sites. It is a major source of methane, a greenhouse gas considerably more harmful to the climate than carbon dioxide (CO2). By diverting organic waste materials from landfills and recycling it into compost we protect our environment by reducing the amount of greenhouse gas released into the air. Composting can reduce food waste in landfills and transform it into a valuable resource, just as recycling has reduced and transformed plastic, paper, and aluminum waste in the past 50 years. This will only happen if we all understand the impact of food waste in landfills and have opportunities to compost our organic waste.