Pulik\u2019s condo association pays local company the Urban Canopy to collect one 35-gallon compost bin every two weeks. Composting adds only a few dollars each month to residents\u2019 monthly assessment fees.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe low cost was one of the reasons I was successful in convincing the board to start the composting program,\u201d said Pulik.<\/p>\n
Her building still needs the same number of dumpsters for trash, so composting hasn\u2019t reduced garbage fees. But Pulik hopes \u201cthat the existence of our composting and recycling programs is mitigating the amount of trash that we produce collectively.\u201d<\/p>\n
Urban Canopy\u2019s collection fees range according to location, frequency and quantity. But it typically charges $20 per 35-gallon bin per pickup, said Tom Straus of Urban Canopy. For homes, it charges $30 a month to collect a 5-gallon compost bucket every two weeks, according to its website.<\/p>\n
In Pulik\u2019s building, the compost bin is in the lower garage, so the odor is isolated. Pulik is in charge of letting Urban Canopy into the building for collection.<\/p>\n
Letting organic waste sit for two weeks wasn\u2019t a major issue for residents, she said. Their bigger concern was which containers to use at home. So Pulik gave some neighbors countertop compost containers to try before they bought their own.<\/p>\n
Fruit flies are admittedly a problem, especially in the summer. But Pulik got her board to provide residents with liners for their countertop compost bins. She also built fruit fly traps and sometimes covers compost in the main bin with a liner to trap flies. People sometimes put items that can\u2019t be composted in the bin, but Pulik created signs to deter that.<\/p>\n
Straus said common concerns about composting involve pests and smells. But Urban Canopy offers \u201csquirrel lids\u201d to prevent critters from chewing on buckets.<\/p>\n
To control odor, Urban Canopy suggests keeping food waste in the freezer, as well as waiting to add liquids until a few days before pickup.<\/p>\n
The company reminds people that their organic waste would sit in regular trash containers anyway. Straus pointed out that compost collection can actually prevent odor. Urban Canopy swaps used bins with clean ones and sanitizes them \u201cso there is no persistent residue like in your regular dumpsters,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Urban Canopy has offered compost services in the Chicago area since 2011. It takes organic waste to processing facilities such as Green Era <\/a>in Auburn Gresham, Harbor View in South Deering and Patriot Acres in Des Plaines that produce finished compost.<\/p>\n Green Era\u2019s system even captures methane and processes it into renewable natural gas that\u2019s injected into the utility grid.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A truck unloads food waste into the pit at Green Era Campus in Auburn Gresham, on Nov. 6, 2025.<\/p>\n For Pulik\u2019s building, one 35-gallon bin doesn\u2019t seem like enough, but she noted that the container isn\u2019t always full.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll confess, that always disappoints me,\u201d she said. Managing compost collection adds responsibilities, but Pulik considers the initiative a success.<\/p>\n And her building\u2019s compost bin is part of a larger, collective impact. Last year Urban Canopy composted 4.3 million pounds of organic waste from the Chicago area. It expects to double that in 2026 after merging with peer Collective Resource last year. Composting makes a difference, said Straus.<\/p>\n The methane emissions Urban Canopy\u2019s composting services prevent \u201cfar outweigh the emissions generated from picking the material up,\u201d said Straus, citing metrics from the Environmental Protection Agency\u2019s waste reduction calculator<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cPlus, being able to return these valuable nutrients to the soil and allow the Chicagoland area to fertilize farms, gardens and houseplants without using harmful chemical fertilizers is its own reward,\u201d Straus added.<\/p>\n Compost might even end up at Urban Canopy\u2019s 1-acre farm in Auburn Gresham that transformed a former vacant lot. Vegetables, herbs and flowers grow there \u2014 yet another example of new life in humble places.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/cst.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/38713a0\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/4288x2859+0+0\/resize\/840x560!\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F95%2F1f%2Fbd5dd1ef49a8aedab5ad9e18df7d%2Fcompostenergy-110725-25.jpg\")
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