Recipient Organization
COUNTY OF KANE
719 S BATAVIA AVE
GENEVA,IL 601343077
Performing Department
NA
Non Technical Summary
Kane County, Illinois, often considered a far Chicago suburb, is actually a diverse place with large urban centers, smaller suburban towns and villages, and outlying rural areas. Unfortunately, the diversion of non-edible food waste generated in Kane County away from landfills is still in its infancy. There has been some progress towards robust composting material from residences. Landscape waste has been banned from landfills in Illinois for decades, and many residential waste hauling contracts now allow residents to mix food scraps with yard waste for composting during the eight-month collection season. However, composting among large institutional food waste generators in the County is lacking. Generally speaking, there is no culture of composting in the County, meaning that existing programs are likely underutilized by the public.The first goal of the proposed project is to begin composting programs for inedible food waste at four large facilities in the county: 1) Kane County's Adult Justice Center; 2) Northern Illinois Food Bank; 3) Northwestern Medicine Field; and 4) Advocate Sherman Hospital. The second goal is to help fill gaps in the availability in residential composting by offering a seasonal public drop-off. Our third goal is to nurture a culture of composting through a "Kane County Composts" public education and marketing campaign, which will become a sister brand to the already popular and widely recognized "Kane County Recycles" brand and campaign. Successful implementation of this project will help normalize composting in the county and will send a clear message to private sector food scrap haulers, which are based close to Chicago and have sometimes been reticent to service outlying areas, that there is a market for their services in Kane County. The fourth and final goal is to improve small agricultural producers' and community gardens' access to compost by coordinating a give-away event. These goals are very strongly aligned with the primary CFWR goals of reducing food waste, diverting food waste from landfills, and increasing local producers' access to compost. In addition to meeting CFWR goals, this project will help the County make major progress toward meeting the goals of its Solid Waste Management Plan and recently adopted Climate Action Implementation Plan.We feel strongly that due to the ambitious scope of our proposal and the broad reach of some of our partner organizations, serving the whole County and beyond, the project will impact every zip code in Kane County. However, tasked with identifying a few, we list the following:60123, Elgin, IL (where Advocate Sherman Hospital is located), urban, parts of this zip code are disadvantaged according to the U.S. EPA Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool60134, Geneva, IL (where Northern IL Food Bank, Northwest Medicine Field and the Kane County Recycling Center are located), primarily suburban, not a disadvantaged area, but the Food Bank works to address hunger in disadvantaged areas60175, St. Charles, IL (where the Kane County Adult Justice Center is located), primarily suburban and rural, not disadvantaged, but the AJC serves disadvantaged communitiesWe are committed to making sure that the educational and informational components of this program are accessible to the majority of Kane County residents by providing Spanish language translation on all major outputs. We are also committed to demonstrating success during the grant period in order to secure ongoing funding to maintain diversion and education efforts.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
Goal 1: Demonstrate institutional level separated collection and composting/biodigestion of inedible food wasteObjective 1.1: Begin separation of inedible food scrap at four large food waste producing institutionsObjective 1.2: Prevent 1,060,000 lbs. per year of inedible food scrap from institutions from going to landfillsObjective 1.3: Divert 260,000 lbs per year of inedible food waste from institutions to compost facilitiesObjective 1.4: Divert 800,000 lbs per year of inedible food waste from institutions to anaerobic digester facilities that incorporate beneficial use of biogas and/or residual solids in their operationsObjective 1.5: Prevent approximately 505 MTCO2e greenhouse gas emissions per year through composting or anaerobic digestion with methane recovery from inedible food waste from institutionsGoal 2: Demonstrate winter season public drop-off for separated food scrapsObjective 2.1: At least 1,000 individuals or organizations drop material off at the collection point each seasonObjective 2.2: Prevent 4,500 lbs per season of food waste from the public from going to landfillsObjective 2.3: Divert 4,500 lbs per year of food waste from the public to compost facilitiesObjective 2.4: Prevent approximately 2.1 MTCO2e greenhouse gas emissions per year by composting of food scraps dropped off by the publicGoal 3: Build a culture of composting in Kane CountyObjective 3.1: Initiate and develop a "Kane County Composts" social marketing brand and integrate it into web, social media and print messagingObjective 3.2: Develop visual guide to collecting and transporting food waste to help build comfort with using the public drop off point and combined yard waste and food scrap curbside collection programsObjective 3.3: Develop a how-to guide and associated training for institutions and businesses based off our experiences implementing Goal 1 to help improve project transferabilityObjective 3.4: Engage at least five organizations or businesses with food scrap recycling education or training during the project periodObjective 3.5: At least 200 individuals are directly educated on food waste reductionObjective 3.6: Work with at least three municipalities to improve the quality of information about food scrap inclusion in yard waste curbside programs on their websites during the project periodGoal 4: Improve agricultural producer access to finished compost as a soil amendmentObjective 4.1: Host a spring compost give-away for producersObjective 4.2: At least four agricultural producers, including community and school gardens, receive compost through the give-awayObjective 4.3: At least 6,000 lbs. of compost is distributed to agricultural producers during the give-away
Project Methods
Goal 1(Tasks apply to all sites unless otherwise specified)Task 1: Execute a waste audit (Sherman Hospital only)Subtask 1a: A food waste audit will be undertaken in the prep kitchen. An assessment of returned patient meal waste will also be performed. Simultaneously, retail and catering spaces will be audited for food recovery possibilities. Food waste volume will be calculated and estimated for all audited spaces.Task 2: Obtain organics hauling servicesSubtask 2a: Contract with Partner OrgsSubtask 2b: Obtain hauling, depackaging (if necessary) and composting or anaerobic digestion services through partners'standard procurement processesSubtask 2c: Obtain containers and liners necessary to collect separated food scrapsSubtask 2d: Contract implementationSubtask 2e: Reporting metrics -The County and all external partners will require scale readings of weight from haulers, which will be provided to the County no less frequently than quarterly. Staff will use standard conversion factors to estimate GHG emissions prevented and will compile all metrics for an annual report.Task 3: Develop interpretive display for food scrap collection container and place on NW Field concourse (Kane County Cougars Baseball Club only)Subtask 3a: Design and source interpretive display to accompany pilot food waste collections station on stadium concourseSubtask 3b: Install display and bin on concourseSubtask 3c: Indicate location of compost container on website and other mapsTask 4: Develop signage and training for Partner Org staffSubtask 4a: Design English/Spanish sign explaining what common kitchen and catering materials should go in separated organics, and which should go in trash or recycling, customized for each siteSubtask 4b: Sign production and installationSubtask 4c: Develop supplemental in-person and/or video training for kitchen,concession and catering staff, customized for each siteTask 5: Develop a food waste playbook to be implemented throughout Advocate facilities (Sherman Hospital only)Subtask 5a: Use experience from first year of the pilot program to outline and further develop a written and visual guide and presentation materials that can be used at other network facilitiesGoal 2: Demonstrate winter season public drop-off for separated food scrapsTask 1: Obtain separated seasonal organics hauling service at the Kane County's Fabyan Parkway Recycling CenterSubtask 1a: Develop and release bid for separated organics hauling service. The bid for this portion of service will include the totes or containers that will be used to collect the scraps at an outdoor facility. Bid will be combinedwith the bid for service to the AJC(see Goal 1, subtask 2b above)Subtask 1b: Contract implementationSubtask 1c: Reporting metrics; The Recycling Coordinator will work with the contractor to track volume or weight of food scraps collected from the site. Staff will use standard conversion factors to estimate GHG emissions prevented andwill compile all metrics for an annual report.Task 2: Advertise the availability of the drop offSubtask 2a: Integrate information about the drop-off on the Kane County Recycling Program websiteSubtask 2b: Work with internal and external media and local government partners to run announcementSubtask 2c: Coordinate ad-buys (design ads and select ad venues including social media platforms, print and online local news sources)Task 3: Develop site signageSubtask 3a: Design English/Spanish free-standing sign or tote-top sticker (depending on site set up) explaining what household organics are allowable. The sign will also have a QR code for site users to scan to "check in" at the site, providing an estimate of site use.Subtask 3b: Sign or sticker production and installationTask 4: Offer home-use organics collection/storage containersSubtask 4a: Source and purchase a bulk quantity of lidded plastic pails for home collection of organic materialSubtask 4b: Design English/Spanish stickers to be affixed to pails showing allowable household organics for programSubtask 4c: Develop composting pledge and offer stickered pails to the public. Pail announcement will be concurrent with the site announcement and advertising described in Task 2Goal 3: Build a culture of compostingTask 1: Develop campaign brandingSubtask 1a: Design logo and brand identity for "Kane County Composts"Subtask 1b: Integrate logo and branding into existing Kane County Recycling home page and subpages as appropriateSubtask 1c: Obtain quotes for translation services to translate written campaign materials into SpanishTask 2: Develop visual guide to separating and temporarily storing food scraps at homeSubtask 2a: Develop detailed outline identifying the logistical barriers and concerns related to home collection and temporary storage of food scraps and the best visual methods (pictures, short videos) for conveying how to overcome these barriersSubtask 2b: Develop visual resources (pictures and short videos) promoting ways to avoid food waste and demonstrating convenient and sanitary home collection and temporary storage of food scraps using the pailsSubtask 2c: Integrate visual guide into Kane County Recycling Program website and include link in announcement of drop-off site and pail give awaySubtask 2d: Develop and print bilingual English/Spanish flierTask 3: Develop how-to guide and associated training for institutions and businessesSubtask 3a: Use experience from implementing Goal 1 during Year 1 of the pilot program to outline and further develop a written and visual guide and presentation materials that can be used by medium-to-large food producing institutions and businesses to establish separated organics collection.Subtask 3b: Offer free, on-demand presentations to Kane County institutions and businesses with interest in separated organics collectionsTask 4: Work with municipalities to improve online information about seasonal food scrap collection with yard wasteSubtask 4a: Identify municipalities in Kane County where the hauler contract/program includes seasonal inclusion of food scrap with yard waste but where municipal web and print resources are lackingSubtask 4b: Meet with municipal contract managers and provide examples and information that they can use to improve resident knowledge of the programSubtask 4c: Share all web and print resources developed with municipalities for inclusion on their websites, in newsletters, etc.Task 5: Develop English/Spanish outreach brochure on preventing food waste, highlighting the principles of the EPA Wasted Food Scale and available food rescue and diversion options in Kane CountySubtask 5a: Develop and design draftSubtask 5b: Have final brochure copy translated into SpanishSubtask 5c: Obtain quotes and proceed with printing 10000 copiesSubtask 5d: Work with local farmers' market organizers and vendors, municipalities, and local community event organizers to distribute brochureSubtask 5e: Incorporate messaging and images from the brochure into social media contentGoal 4: Improve access to finished compost as a soil amendmentTask 1: Organize and host a compost give-away that prioritizes access to small farms and school & community gardensSubtask 1a: Develop a contact list of small agricultural producers, community gardens and school gardensSubtask 1b: Develop and distribute a sign-up form to collect data about compost needs (e.g., compost specifications, quantity needs, etc.)Subtask 1c: Use data collected in subtask above to collect quotes for compost bulk purchase and delivery to a central locationSubtask 1d: Organize and implement compost collection day/days for producers and school/community gardensSubtask 1f: Reporting metrics; The County will compile data on the total volume or weight of compost purchased and distributed, and the number of producers, community and school gardens provided with compost. Staff will compile all metrics for an annual report.