Committee on Environmental Protection & Energy
February 19, 2020 City Council Meeting
RESOLUTION CALLING FOR SUBJECT-MATTER HEARINGS ON RECYCLING AND COMPOSTING SERVICES
WHEREAS, The City of Chicago's Department of Streets & Sanitation (DSS) manages waste collection for approximately 600,000 households, including single-family homes up to 4-unit residential buildings; and ¦'
WHEREAS, In 2007, the City of Chicago introduced the Blue Cart Recycling program in seven communities and expanded the program to all eligible households in 2013; and
WHEREAS, The City of Chicago uses a single-stream recycling system in which all recyclable materials are collected and transported together. Recyclables are picked up and transported every other week in designated recycling trucks to avoid contamination; and
WHEREAS, Property owners of multi-unit residential buildings of five or more units, as well as office and commercial establishments, are mandated to provide source-separated, single-stream recycling and are responsible for implementing an ongoing educational program including posting signage and providing adequate recycling carts; and
WHEREAS, The Office of the Inspector General announced in the Audit and Program Review Section of its 2020 Annual Plan that it would evaluated whether the city's Department of Streets & Sanitation is enforcing the municipal code provisions requiring high-density residential and commercial buildings to procure recycling services; and
WHEREAS, In 2010, the City of Chicago's Department ofthe Environment (DOE) released a waste characterization study based on information for the year 2007. The study detailed the quantity, sources, and composition ofthe City's waste stream. The study showed that the City generated approximately 7.3 million tons of waste every year, 45% of which is diverted from landfills. The diversion rate for residential buildings with Streets and Sanitation collection was 8%, while it was 19% for residential buildings with pr...
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