Event Recycling and Composting Law Coming to Illinois In 2025
In August of this year, Governor JB Pritzker signed legislation to reduce the amount of waste ending up in landfills from large events in Illinois. The Large Event Facilities Act (SB2876) requires large event facilities with legal occupancies of at least 3,500 people to provide attendees with recycling and composting bins.
“WasteNot is encouraged by this step forward for sustainable waste management at events in the state,” said Liam Donnelly, WasteNot’s founder and CEO. “Event diversion has been part of WasteNot’s DNA since I started the company back in 2015. We have been leading the charge in helping large events compost and recycle and look forward to helping large event venues in the state comply with this new law.”
Here’s how WasteNot can help get your venue in compliance and divert waste from landfills:
Event Compost & Recycling Collection Services: SB2876 requires covered event venues to have public facing compost and recycling bins for event attendees. WasteNot has been working with venues and large scale events since 2015 to divert compostable and recyclable waste from landfills. WasteNot’s zero-emission collection services ensure that all services are done as sustainably as possible. Learn more about WasteNot’s compost and recycling collection services by emailing our team at partners@wastenotcompost.com.
Upstream Diversion Consultation: In our experience, the best way to create effective diversion strategies for large events involves planning to limit the amount of waste ending up in waste bins in the first place. WasteNot’s Upstream Diversion Consulting services provide venues with the strategies and tools they need to create waste streams that are easy for any event attendee to understand.
SB2876 applies to permanent structures, like convention centers and sports stadiums, where large event crowds gather. According to the Illinois Environmental Council, “Illinois lags behind other states in removing food scrap from our waste stream. Estimates of the state’s waste stream indicate that nearly 20 percent is organic and 23 percent is food scrap; only 13 percent and 1 percent of these materials, respectively, are diverted from landfills into composting. When those materials sit in one of Illinois’ 42 landfills, they are converted into methane gas, a climate-warming emission that leaks into the atmosphere and contributes to climate change. Illinois ranks 8th in total landfill methane gas emissions nationally.” With this law in place, Illinois waste streams will see a reduction in food waste going to landfills, helping to cut methane emissions and improve overall waste management in the state.
The new law will go into effect on January 1, 2025. If you are an event venue that will be covered by this new law, please reach out to WasteNot at partners@wastenotcompost.com to learn more about how our services can help you get in compliance.
