City Expands Food Scrap Drop-Off Program To 8 More Library Locations

CHICAGO — Chicagoans can now drop off food scraps at 21 Chicago Public Libraries after the city expanded its free composting program to eight additional branches last week. The expansion brings the total number of spots in Chicago s Food Scrap Drop-Off program to 40 sites throughout the city. The city s Department of Streets and Sanitation launched the program in October 2023 and has since diverted about 2.4 million pounds of waste from landfills to a local composting facility, said the department s Deputy Commissioner of Policy and Sustainability, Chris Sauve. More than 9,500 households citywide participate in the program, and the department aims to reach 10,000 participating households by the end of the year, Sauve said. The bins where Chicagoans can drop off food scraps were installed last week, and most are located in library parking lots, Sauve said. They all have banners marking their locations and QR codes Chicagoans can scan to sign up for the program, he added. Ch