The City of Naperville government is a partner with Groot Industries to expand the City’s composting program by adding two residential drop-off locations at the CNG Station at 1720 Jefferson Avenue and the City-owned parking lot at 91st Street and Wolf’s Crossing Road. Starting Monday, Oct. 7, each location will provide 20 carts for Naperville residents to drop off accepted compost materials. The pilot program will run through the week of Dec. 15 and data will be used to reevaluate its continuance in 2025.
Compost is organic material that can be added to soil to help plants grow. Food scraps and yard waste currently make up 20 to 30 percent of what we throw away and could be composted instead. Making compost keeps these materials out of landfills where they take up space and release methane, a potent greenhouse gas.
Under the City’s existing refuse and recycling program with Groot Industries, residents with yard waste carts can compost food scraps and regular yard waste together in one container that can be rented annually from Groot. Materials accepted include standard yard waste and compostable food scraps such as fruits, vegetables, pastas, breads, crackers and cereals. Meat products and/or bones are not accepted at this time.
Carts will be available to all Naperville residents 24/7 and should not, under any circumstance, be removed from the drop-off site. Residents must use their own means to transport materials to the drop-off site. Only accepted materials should be placed in the carts, and food waste must be free from packaging and produce stickers. Groot will regularly empty the carts and manage the disposal of the material.
“Food scraps make up a large percentage of what we send to landfills in the U.S. and in Naperville,” said Naperville Sustainability manager Ben Mjolsness. “These materials are packed full of valuable nutrients we should view as a resource that enriches the land. Composting completes the cycle, returning these nutrients to where they started to support future plants and a healthier environment while reducing greenhouse gas pollution. We are thrilled to partner with Groot to expand our composting program to the broader Naperville community!”
The program will conclude for the season the week of December 15 and, depending on usage, is expected to restart at the same locations in March 2025. Groot will track the volumes of material collected and the City will use the usage data to determine if and how to continue and/or expand the drop-off program to additional locations in 2025.
For more information about the pilot program, a map of pilot composting sites and for more information about composting guidelines, visit www.naperville.il.us/yardwaste. For more information about the City of Naperville, visit www.naperville.il.us.
— City of Naperville government