Top: City of Chicago residential food scraps drop-off site. Photo courtesy City of Chicago

The City of Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation (DSS) partnered with the Chicago Public Library to open new residential food scraps drop-off locations at 13 libraries in the city — adding to the current 20 DSS drop-off sites. Launched in October 2023, more than 7,400 households have signed up to participate in the  Food Scrap Drop-Off Program, says DSS, successfully diverting over one million pounds of food waste from landfills to composting. In response to growing demand, the City is adding the new locations at neighborhood libraries. The program is free and open to all Chicago residents. To participate, residents sign up using a form on the city’s website and watch a short instructional video, and bring their food scraps to the green carts at their selected drop-off site as often as needed. Accepted materials include all types of food scraps, including meat, bones and dairy. Non-food waste is not accepted. DSS collects the food waste, and it is transported to the Harbor View Composting Facility in Chicago.