Download the Get Started Composting Guide
Food waste is the single largest material placed in landfills and, when it decomposes, it creates methane - a greenhouse gas that is 28 to 36 times more potent than carbon dioxide? As part of Skokie’s commitment to sustainability, the Village recently opened five FREE food scrap drop-off sites. Locations are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week at:
- Skokie Public Works - 9050 Gross Point Road near main entrance
- Devonshire Park - Grove Street parking lot near basketball courts
- Village Hall - 5127 Oakton Street near main entrance
- Oakton Park - south parking lot off Kenton Avenue near tennis courts
- Fire Station 16 - 7424 Niles Center Road, parking lot off Fargo Avenue
If this inspires you to start composting, you can begin with something as simple as collecting and transporting your food scraps in a large lidded Tupperware container. Households that produce more food waste may want to investigate purchasing a composting “caddy” - check Ace Hardware and Crafty Beaver, Skokie. If you wish to extend the time between trips to the drop-off sites, you can empty your kitchen compost container into a five-gallon lidded bucket that is kept outdoors and use that to transport your food waste when it is full.
Food waste can be dumped loose directly into the green toters at the drop off sites. Plain paper bags or plastic liners with the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) certified logo are also acceptable. Waxed or lined paper bags or any plastic bags without the BPI logo are NOT permitted.
If you do not wish to transport the compost yourself, the Village is also providing a 15 percent discount to new annual subscribers to the Collective Resource curbside compost pickup program. In addition, the Village will continue to provide a
$25 rebate for households that purchase a Village-approved backyard compost bin.