BACKYARD COMPOST SPOTLIGHT #1: Cara Runke

Go Green Park Ridge is proud to spotlight our neighbors COMPOSTING! This interview is part of a series raising awareness of reducing wasted food, seeing the various opportunities to compost right outside our doors and inspiring each other to keep making a difference. 

Join us in becoming better stewards of the soil, partners in sustainability and proud participants in a greener future. Together we are building a more resilient Park Ridge by composting.

What motivated you to begin composting?It was a mix of falling in love with gardening, discovering the science behind soil health, and wanting to turn our family’s waste into something useful. It just seemed crazy to throw away food scraps, paper towels, and even sending away yard waste like fallen leaves when they could all be put to work right here in my own garden!

Please describe any a-ha moments when you began composting.
While reading about composting—probably on Reddit—I came across the phrase “everything rots.” That took a lot of the pressure off of “getting it right.” If the pile isn’t super active, gets too dry, too wet, or a bit smelly, there are always ways to bring it back on track. No matter what, the materials will eventually break down into compost one way or another.

How long have you been composting?
We just started this spring! I’m especially looking forward to adding more fruits and vegetable scraps once we collect fallen leaves in the fall—that will help balance out the high nitrogen and moisture content from the scraps.

Do you have advice for new folks on how or where to begin?
Check out composting books from the Park Ridge Library, talk to friends or family who compost, and visit the EPA website for getting started. You don’t need fancy gear—a pile works just fine. I started with an expandable Geobin my brother gave me, and later bought another for $35 to start a second pile. You can also repurpose materials like untreated pallets and chicken wire.

Any advice to help Park Ridge increase participation in composting?
We need to shift our mindset, starting in our own backyards. Many of us are disconnected from where our food comes from and from the vital role soil health plays—not just in growing food, but in reducing rainwater runoff, erosion, flood risk, and pollution. Composting was once common before synthetic fertilizers became widespread; we should normalize it again. Instead of buying bags of soil, mulch, and chemical fertilizers, we can nourish our soil with compost we make ourselves.

And, not to state the obvious, but citywide compost pickup would be a game changer. If compost collection were part of regular trash and recycling services, it would make participation possible for everyone—regardless of income, physical ability, or comfort level with backyard composting. Many cities already do this; it would be amazing if Park Ridge and nearby communities followed suit.

Composting in Park Ridge