PRESS
RELEASE
Date: May 8,
2017
Contact: Walter
Willis, Executive Director, 847-377-4951
The Solid Waste Agency of Lake County (SWALCO) is
leading an effort to divert food scraps from the landfill with the goal of
achieving a 60% recycling rate in Lake County by 2020, the current rate is
approximately 48%. Of its 43 municipal
members 15 have programs to divert food scraps, with Lake Bluff and Highwood
leading the way with year-round programs.
“With Lake Bluff and Highwood, we have the first towns in the State that
have included year-round food scrap collection programs in their municipal
hauling contracts,” said SWALCO Executive Director Walter Willis. “In addition, North Barrington has nearly 150
homes with year-round service and 12 other towns can mix food scraps with
yardwaste during the 8 month yardwaste season.”
SWALCO Chairman and Mayor of Wadsworth Glenn Ryback
said these programs are only the beginning of the growth of food scrap
diversion programs in Lake County. “This
reminds me of when we first started implementing village wide curbside
recycling programs 30 years ago, food scraps collection is just beginning to
take off like curbside recycling did.”
“We recognize it will take several years
for residents and businesses to begin to change the way they manage their food
scraps by shifting them from the garbage container to the composting one,”
Ryback said. “The nice thing is that
Lake County is fortunate to have a robust composting infrastructure in the
county which includes 9 composting facilities that managed over 115,000 tons
last year or 11% of the waste stream,” Willis added.
As with any new recycling program
education will be key to its success.
The residents and businesses need to make sure they are diverting food
scraps that are acceptable to the composting sites. “We have been working closely with member towns,
the haulers and compost sites accepting the material to provide a consistent
message on proper food scrap diversion, from how to collect food scraps in your
kitchen to putting them out for collection,” Willis said. “By following the
guidelines, residents will be helping reduce costs at the composting sites and
increasing the value of the final product.”
More information on the food scrap
programs in Lake County will be shared at a press conference on May 10, 2017 at
the Lake Bluff composting site where the mayors of Lake Bluff and Highwood will
speak about their programs. The press
conference is being held during International Compost Awareness week (May
7-13), and is part of an overall goal to inform Lake County residents about the
benefits of compost, and how they can become part of the effort to divert food
scraps from the landfill.
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