Helping you
combat climate change
by making composting easy

CUSTOMIZED
CONTAINER-SWAP
COMPOSTING SERVICE

10% OFF for all new customers with annual or quarterly payment

10% OFF for all new customers with annual or quarterly payment

Composting Services

  • composting for your household’s food waste.

    Learn more

  • give special pricing to residents and businesses in these municipalities.

    Community program composting

  • you can start small with 5-gallon buckets or go all-in with 32-gallon totes.

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  • are the way to compost communally in multi-unit buildings or neighborhoods.

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  • of all sizes are possible with our composting containers and expert staffing to guide your guests in sorting all waste streams.

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How it works

  • the custom service plan that makes composting easiest for you.

  • the size and number of containers you need and friendly e-mail communications about swapout dates, holiday schedules, and informative blog posts.

  • with food scraps and CMA-W-certified compostable products and put it outside for swapout, wherever it’s easiest for you.

  • for an empty, washed container.

  • and divert your food scraps happily ever after.

Composting in Chicagoland

You can receive composting services in any of these neighborhoods and municipalities. The bright green areas are the suburbs we service, the dark green areas are the Chicago neighborhoods, and the orange areas are the municipalities in which we have exclusive franchise agreements for our container-swap service, which we call our community composting programs. Learn more here about how you can paint your town orange.

Community Composting Programs

  • residents and businesses benefit from special year-round pricing and a winter gap program.

    Learn more

  • residents and businesses benefit from special year-round pricing.

    Learn more

  • residents and businesses benefit from special year-round pricing.

    Learn more

  • could have special pricing too. Resources for you to help your entire community combat climate change are on the community composting programs page.

    Learn more

Flexible Service Options

High-Volume Composting

You can demonstrate your commitment to a sustainable future by composting at your restaurant, school, office, faith community, or other institution. Your organization can help to combat climate change by reducing the amount of waste going to landfills.

Customer Testimonials

  • Local Feel, Big Reliability

    “Collective Resource honestly makes it beyond easy to divert your food scraps. They’re a breeze to work with, you get the personal attention of a small, local company with the ease and reliability of something way larger. 100% recommend for anyone who wants to compost but doesn’t have the means/desire to manage it themselves.”

    - Evan Sears

  • Easy, accessible, and affordable

    “My roommate and I have used the service for three years, and they make composting a breeze! They have several pricing options that are there to fit your needs. They pick it up from right outside our apartment! My favorite thing is that you don't get penalized for forgetting to leave your bucket out, which I may have done on occasion. They leave a new bucket and pick up both on the next pick up date. An easy, accessible, and affordable to help the environment!”

    — Carolyn Betts

  • Extremely diligent and friendly

    “We use Collective Resource for composting services for my business, FIG Catering, and we LOVE them. It makes us to feel better about our waste (catering is a wasteful business) and they make it so easy. I have also used them to manage events (provide staff to sort waste on-site) and they're extremely diligent while also being friendly and helpful.”

    — Molly Schemper

  • Wonderful composting company

    “We’ve used them for over six years to pick up from us. It’s a simple, easy process; their payment is very seamless and affordable. They do great work. We used them when we wanted to have a lower waste wedding, and they did compost all the food scraps and separated our recycling and trash; can’t speak highly enough of their work.”

    — Dan Lamkin

  • I can compost all year long

    “I have been using Collective Resource Compost for several years, and I’m consistently impressed with their service. The process is straightforward, from signing up for a bin to scheduling convenient pickup times. They make everything seamless and hassle-free! I love that I can compost all year long, and it’s great that they accept more than just vegetables, including dairy, bones, and meat. Their team is always friendly and helpful, and I truly appreciate their commitment to sustainability.”

    - Jackie Mack

  • Easy to arrange

    “We have used Collective Resource Compost twice when living in a house and in a condo. They deliver clean buckets and pick up the full ones on schedule as promised. When we needed to get an additional bucket, it was easy to arrange. They respond promptly when contacted. I highly recommend Collective Resource Compost.”

    — Susan Agate

  • Love This Compost Service

    “Absolutely love this organization and service. They could not make composting any easier. Whatever your needs and frequency of bucket swaps are, they have an option for you. Composting is so important for the planet and these folks make it a breeze to do your part. Highly recommend!”

    - Sergio Gonzalez

  • Such a valuable service and so well managed

    “I have used Collective Resource at my last house, in my current building and at my son's building. They provide a very easy way to keep green and compostable items out of landfills with no hassle and at a more than fair price. Thank you Collective Resource!”

    - Jeff Boarini

  • Exceptional Composting Solution

    “We started using Collective Resource Compost when we had to stop backyard composting, due to animals in the neighborhood finding their way in. They provide an excellent service, adaptable to different households and individual needs, with variable pickup schedules offered. They have been easy to work with whenever a change is required, prompt in picking up the bucket, and unfailingly professional in every interaction. I highly recommend this service.”

    - Una

Own the Solution

For 13 years, Erlene Howard owned the solution and she’s ready to share. This ownership opportunity in the co-op is available to employees, customers and other supporters in our composting community. We’re better together.

  • Goose Island composts with Collective Resource compost co-op
  • SAIC composts with Collective Resource compost co-op
  • British International School Of Chicago composts with Collective Resource compost co-op
  • Michaels Catering composts with Collective Resource compost co-op
  • Soprafina composts with Collective Resource compost co-op
  • UIC composts with Collective Resource compost co-op

Let's compost together!

Ready to start composting? After just a few quick steps you'll be on your way to composting in your home, at your next event, or at your office. You won't believe how much your landfill waste will be reduced.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • All food scraps and certified compostable products can be put in your container. See our What to Compost page for guidance.

  • You want an easy, actionable way to combat climate change and make a positive difference in your loved ones’ futures. Diverting your food scraps from a landfill through composting both reduces the amount of methane your household is responsible for producing and recovers resources to enable the nutrients present in your food waste to become a natural fertilizer to regenerate our soil.

  • Our 5-gallon buckets have lids that seal tightly. Our 32-gallon totes are bagged and also have lids. When the containers are closed, they do not smell. As it gets closer to your swap-out day, you may notice that the contents smell when you open it. The odor dissipates soon after you’ve closed it up. If keeping your bucket or tote outside is an option, that would help. Some customers freeze some of their food scraps and place them in our collection containers on the swap-out day. Click here(Link) for ideas on how to set up compost collection in your kitchen. You may also see our blog post about managing your compost collection (Link) during the summer for additional tips and tricks.

  • Each spring, we offer 10 free gallons of finished compost to our customers at what we’ve named our Spring Finished Compost Gift-Back. We offer several different days for customers to bring their own containers, collect their compost, and have the opportunity to purchase more if they need more. We partner with our colleagues in the local composting and farming community to provide this gift for our customers. Find out more about finished compost gift-back.