Closing the Loop on Composting

6/25/2026

What Park Ridge Residents Need to Know Right Now

Composting is one of the most powerful things we can do for our soil, our water, our community, and our climate. But in Illinois right now, the composting landscape is genuinely complicated — and as your neighbors and fellow stewards of this town, we want to give you a clear picture of what's happening, what's reliable, and what the best choices are for your household.

The State of Composting in Illinois

People have been working hard to expand access to food scrap composting statewide, and real progress is being made — but the truth is that infrastructure to handle all organic materials consistently and at scale isn't fully there yet. That gap matters, because when materials end up in the wrong system, they don't break down as intended. They contaminate.

The most pressing example of this is compostable packaging.

The Compostable Packaging Problem

You've probably seen the labels: "compostable," "certified compostable," "made from plants." They sound like good news. The reality is more complicated.

Most compostable packaging — even products certified by the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) — requires industrial composting conditions to break down: specific temperatures, moisture levels, and processing times that your backyard bin and most municipal programs simply can't replicate. At home, these products often persist. In curbside programs not specifically equipped for compost processors, the packaging can cause contamination that may downgrade or reject entire loads of otherwise recoverable organics.

Our Recommendation: Compostable packaging goes in the regular waste bin for now. We know that feels counterintuitive — but in the current Illinois system, that's the honest, science-backed answer. When our regional infrastructure catches up, we'll say so.

Your Three Best Options — In Order

Think of this as a hierarchy. The closer to home, the better.

1. Compost at Home

This is always the cleanest loop. When you compost fruit and vegetable scraps, eggshells, coffee grounds, lawn clippings, and yard materials in your own backyard — through a heap, tumbler, or bin — those nutrients return directly to your soil. Nothing is transported. Nothing is processed elsewhere. The carbon stays local.

If you haven't started yet, it's easier than you think. Go Green Park Ridge and the EPA can help you get set up.

2. The Urban Canopy — Local. The next best option.

For items that don't belong in backyard bins — meat, bones, oils, dairy, and more — The Urban Canopy is an excellent option. They deliver a bucket to your door and pick it up on a regular schedule. Short transport distance, strong composting infrastructure, and a business we're proud to support.

In addition to residential service, Park Ridge offers area drop-off locations currently managed by The Urban Canopy for free drop-off of acceptable food scraps for composting.

See The Urban Canopy's full list of accepted materials: https://www.theurbancanopy.org/resource-articles/composting-best-practices

3. Park Ridge Curbside Yard Waste + Food Scrap Pickup (via SBC)

The city offers food scrap pickup with yard refuse through SBC's seasonal ride-along program. This could be a meaningful step forward for our community. We think it’s great that more and more residents are diverting food scraps from landfills— just remember, we recommend compostable packaging should still go in the regular bin, even with this option.

SBC provides a list of acceptable items (though it remains unclear to the public whether the processor they have indicated is accepting material beyond your grass clippings, leaves and brush.

When in Doubt, Keep It Local

The core principle is simple: the shorter the loop, the better. Food scraps that stay in your yard feed your soil. Food scraps that stay in Park Ridge feed our community's green spaces. The further organics travel — and the more they get mixed with materials the system can't handle — the more value is lost.

As the industries sort out compostable packaging and Illinois builds out its compost infrastructure, we'll keep you updated. In the meantime: compost what you can, (If it grows, it goes!), aim to choose the closest loop available to you, and it’s best to leave compostable packaging out of the compost bin.

Go Green Park Ridge is committed to sharing honest, science-grounded guidance as the composting landscape in Illinois evolves. We are closely following developments in state organics policy.

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