Recycling Block Captains

March News

This month we are exploring the often-misunderstood recycling rate in Chicago. For starters, there is no standardized method for measuring recycling rates, so it is challenging to compare recycling programs. There are also nuances between recycling rates and diversion rates. Let's dig into it!

'Recycling rate' vs. 'diversion rate'

What's the difference?

These terms are often used interchangeably, but they rarely mean the same thing. For Chicago's municipal service, recycling refers to the material in the blue carts collected from properties with 4 units or less. The diversion rate tells how much of the total materials collected (from black carts, blue carts, green carts and lawn bags) is being diverted from a landfill (or kept out of a landfill).

Other municipalities might include source reduction in their diversion rates as well as biosolids, construction/demolition materials, etc. Since municipalities measure (or don't measure) and report (or don't report) the same waste, comparing recycling and diversion rates nationally and internationally is challenging to do accurately.

Chicago's 9% diversion rate

All of the Department of Streets and Sanitation black cart materials, blue cart materials, yard waste and food scraps are weighed as they are collected and reported monthly on our website.

Our diversion rate is the percentage of this total collected material that is recycled to be used again. The food waste collected from the Food Scrap Drop-Off Program is composted at facilities in the region and goes on to build healthy soil. The blue cart materials are sorted at The Exchange and sold to end markets here in the United States as shown in our story map.

For perspective, the EPA has set a goal of 50% of materials collected be recycled by 2030. Chicago's 9% rate certainly has room for improvement! Encourage your neighbors to recycle the basics (cans, cardboard, glass, paper and plastic). They can contribute to our overall diversion rate by putting their yard waste in paper yard waste bags and calling 311 (or going online to CHI311) to request a pick-up, and by using the food scrap drop-off locations for their household food scraps.

Explore all of our diversion programs at ChicagoRecycles.org.

The next time you tie off a bag of garbage, take a good look. What's in there? Food? Plastic? Cardboard? All of these items can be diverted to other free city outlets. Are there any items that have a reusable version, so you are not constantly throwing things away?

Small changes have a big impact over time.

Know anyone who would like to be a Block Captain? They can sign up here.