Contact Us: illinoiscomposts@gmail.com
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While IFSC continues - as a coalition of individuals, businesses, and organizations - to drive the diversion of food scraps from landfills and into a growing compost infrastructure in Illinois, we believe that the emergent issues of 2020 require action to combat COVID-19 and racial injustice as a critical part of the comprehensive solution leading to a more sustainable and just future for all.
IFSC would like to help raise awareness, while committing to ongoing collaboration towards positive change that addresses the issues faced by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) in relation to compost programs and accessibility.
We recognize that a sustainable future cannot and will not exist without first achieving racial and social justice for BIPOC, including acknowledging the contributions of our minority partners to this movement, and inviting increased involvement.
We invite you to share your composting stories with aim to elevate BIPOC voices. These stories will be included in a blog or social media post to keep these critical conversations a part of the movement toward environmental and social justice. Please email us at illinoiscomposts@gmail.com.
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How COVID-19 is Impacting Illinois Food Scrap Composting
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by Jennifer Nelson, July 13, 2020
Before coronavirus, Americans were faced with the challenge of how to handle 40.7 million tons of food waste. Several cities and states had started addressing wasted food, passing legislation and launching programs to divert millions of tons of bread, milk, fruits, meat, vegetables, condiments, and other food scraps sent to landfills each year.
As the coronavirus pandemic has changed how we live our lives, it has also led to significant changes within our food system and impacted food waste reduction efforts and food scrap composting in Illinois. We invite you to learn from Illinois Food Scrap Coalition member haulers and compost processors how their businesses have been impacted.
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The Chicago Region Food Systems COVID-19 Rapid Response team
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Hundreds of groups have come together to support a healthy, resilient, and equitable food system. The CFPAC continues to update its resource page with funding opportunities, best practices and other assistance for emergency food, small businesses, local producers, and food system workers. Learn more here:
chicagofoodpolicy.com/covid19
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Welcoming our new Directors
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Erlene Howard
, founder and owner of Collective Resource Compost
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Erlene Howard is the founder and owner of Evanston-based
Collective Resource Compost (CRC), a food scrap hauling business she created 10 years ago in June 2010. CRC is the biggest of the small haulers that provide a container-swap service. Their business serves residential and commercial customers and groups of all sizes who want to reduce the carbon footprints of their events. Their service area has grown to cover many neighborhoods in Chicago as well as the north and northwest suburbs. Erlene has been an IFSC member since its inception and is happy to now be bringing her unique perspective to the IFSC Board.
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Rick Shipley, Chief Executive Officer of Organix Recycling
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Rick Shipley has over 20 years of experience recycling commodities across a broad range of industries. Mr. Shipley is an expert in developing large scale recycling programs which meet both operational and financial needs for clients. He currently serves as Chief Executive Officer at Organix Recycling, LLC, a company he co-founded in 2010 to meet a growing and desperate need to divert food scraps from landfills and redirect them for re-purposing and reusage. In 10 years, Organix has become the largest collector and recycler of retail food scraps in the U.S., recycling more than 2,000,000 tons since inception. Mr. Shipley holds B.S. in Accounting from Southern Illinois University.
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SAVE THE DATE: August 20th 2-4pm
Forum on Compostable Plastics: The Impacts and Implications of Use and Acceptance
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In partnership with
Chicago Sustainability Task Force, this solution-oriented discussion will dive deeper into issues raised in the
April webinar. Focusing on best practices and challenges in the use and processing of compostable plastics, we aim to identify mutually-agreed upon steps towards a solution, as well as fact-based guidance for large purchasers of single-use cups and serveware.
Confirmed speakers include:
- BioCycle Associates - Nora Goldstein
- Compost Manufacturing Alliance - Susan Thoman, Principal and Managing Director
- St. Louis Composting - Patrick Geraty, President
- Biodegradable Products Institute - Rhodes Yepen, Executive Director
- Eco-Products - Jamie Brown, Operator Specialist for the Midwest
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Compost Market Development Committee Update
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Food Scrap diversion from landfills is critically dependent upon the availability of a robust and sustainable Illinois composting infrastructure. Critical elements supporting Composter viability include the ability to sell the full quantity of manufactured composts and the ability of the Composters to earn fair income from those products (fair pricing). The IFSC Compost Market Development Committee (CMD) is working to educate potential compost users and expand the marketing and sales opportunities for IFSC Member Composters.
Here are a few of the ongoing projects of the CMD committee
- “Where to buy compost?” resource for the IFSC website
- Comprehensive “Compostable” and “Not-Compostable” list and educational resource
- Organics and Composting Glossary
- Engage with communities which can benefit from incorporation of compost into their projects in order to achieve improvements in areas including (but not limited to) soil characteristics, soil performance, turf and plant health and viability, reduced pesticide and herbicide demand, and water management (in both drought and flood contexts)
- Tracking progress on two Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) projects which are currently under construction and are pilots related to IL Public Act 100-0951
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Education Committee Update
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The IFSC Education Committee works on specific projects designed to educate stakeholders about food scrap composting policies, best practices and programs and make recommendations for priority strategies and policies that will achieve the goal of advancing food scrap composting across Illinois. The Education Committee has a variety of exciting projects and each volunteer committee member participates when and how they are able. Learn about our current work, suggest needed education in Illinois, and please consider joining the committee.
Here are just a few of the Education Committee's ongoing projects
- Plan and conduct a Townhall on how to start a residential municipal composting program
- Develop educational material to support sales of finished compost
- Develop website resources: Composting in Stadiums; Composting at Events
- creating fun videos like this one (Thanks Kate!)
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We Compost Partner Highlight: Food For Thought
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With the coronavirus infecting over 144,000 people in Illinois thus far since the COVID-19 pandemic began, businesses throughout the state have had to adapt to the rapidly changing state of our world. Now that the state has entered Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois reopening plan, a new round of decision-making has to happen to decide how to carry on operations while keeping customers and employees safe. Unfortunately, our We Compost Partners are affected by the pandemic as well, so we checked in with Food For Thought in Lincolnwood.
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Member Highlight: Collective Resource Compost Turns 10
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In June,
Collective Resource Compost marked their 10th anniversary since their first compost collection. To date, they have collected over 6,650 tons of food waste from Chicago and the surrounding area through residential and commercial food scrap pick-ups and zero waste events. By diverting all of those food scraps from landfills, and taking them to local IEPA certified compost facilities, they have had the collective impact of reducing 10,267 tons of methane. Way to go Collective Resource Compost!
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New IFSC Website Resources
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Get the latest USCC news from the USCC's flash communicator
HERE
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Partnering to Reach Specifiers
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The USCC has developed end market resources for members and state chapters to use and distribute in order to support the composting industry nationwide. Our resources have resulted from over thirty years of industry experience and we are proud to have our state chapters, such as the MOC, as a partner to promote the use of compost to benefit the soil, control erosion, and build green stormwater infrastructure. The US Composting Council is proud to have created resources that help in grant applications such as this one. The USCC continuously improves and adds to resources we offer in support of the compost industry.
If your organization is interested in partnering to reach out to specifiers, please contact
Hilary Nichols
, USCC Market Development Coordinator.
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COVID-19 Response Resources
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The USCC is continually adding resources to their COVID-19 Response page in Health and Safety, Business Continuity, Food Systems, and their popular "Composting in the time of COVID" Webinar Series. Please visit their page for the latest in national news and guidance.
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EPA’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I Solicitation is Now Open!
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Open Date: June 23, 2020 – August 28, 2020
The U.S. EPA announced the release of its 2021 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I Solicitation to develop innovative technologies that protect human health and the environment.
EPA is calling for small businesses to apply for Phase I awards up to $100,000 to demonstrate proof of concept in the following topic areas: clean and safe water, air quality, land revitalization, homeland security,
sustainable materials management [includes food waste] and safer chemicals. See the full solicitation posted on FedConnect to learn more about these topic areas, view specific subtopics for each area, and access
instructions on how to apply
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Missed the informational webinar on how to apply for the 2021 EPA SBIR Phase I Solicitation? View the
presentation slides and
Q&A.
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Upcoming Meetings & Events
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IFSC and Member Events
Other Food Waste and Composting Events
Already had an event, recieved an award or recognition, or reached a food scrap milestone? We will help you get the word out!
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Food Scrap News Too Good to Waste
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Illinois Food Scrap Coalition
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