From a Half-Day Forum to a Statewide Force: The IFSCC Story!
It all began with one simple realization: Illinois was buried in organic waste that could be feeding people or building our soil. In October 2012, at the GreenTown Conference in Highland Park, a collaboration of people, including Seven Generations Ahead (SGA), solid waste agencies, educators, and governmental advocates, all gathered for a half-day forum. They didn’t just want to talk about the problem; they wanted to build a vehicle for real change.
SGA’s Gary Cuneen speaks at GreenTown conference
The forum sparked the birth of the Illinois Food Scrap Coalition (IFSC), now known as the Illinois Food Scrap & Composting Coalition (IFSCC). What started as just an email list and various meetings has become a thriving non-profit powerhouse with nearly 200 members from 75 member organizations and individuals representing every sector of the food cycle.
An early IFSCC member appreciation event at Hopcat Brewing in Chicago.
Major Wins
Before the IFSCC, residential food scrap collection was virtually non-existent in our state. Today, Illinois has scaled from just 2 pilot programs in 2012 to over 100 municipal programs. This means that over 900,000 residents now have the power to keep their food scraps out of landfills!
Advocacy has been a driving force behind landmark compost legislation, including:
- Compost facilities accepting food scrap without local siting
- Landscape waste transfer stations accepting food scrap without local siting
- Use of finished compost encouraged for land maintenance
Take a look at page three of this comprehensive retrospective for further details on 35 Years of Illinois Compost Policy.
Partnering for a just food system
IFSCC hasn’t worked alone. In 2017, the Wasted Food Action Alliance (WFAA) was founded as a close collaborator to focus specifically on the “rescue” portion of the Wasted Food Scale. Together, WFAA connects growers, rescuers, and recyclers to ensure Illinois leads the nation in food stewardship. IFSCC and WFAA, along with many food system advocates, professionals, and organizations across Illinois, continue to increase connectivity to create circularity and help both people and nature thrive.
Seeds planted –still growing
Liz Bosarge, previously IFSCC’s first paid staff member and a current board member, tabling at a public forum.
It’s hard to believe, but IFSCC continues building this movement in Illinois at a completely volunteer capacity. The board, active committees, and general body meetings that have evolved over the years provide a consistent structure to keep moving the conversation forward, support professional networking for all ages, and include expertise across the food system.
Longtime IFSCC member, Nora Goldstein, editorial chairperson and consulting principal of her family’s publication Biocycle, moderates an early panel about organics diversion in Illinois.
Looking forward
While we celebrate how far we’ve come, from that first Green Town meeting to a statewide network, our work is far from over. Illinois is continually mobilizing for the next major milestone.
Stay tuned! Our next post in this series will be a deep dive into the Feed and Conserve IL movement and how IFSCC members who are involved in this legislation aim to rescue more food, create thousands of jobs, and slash methane emissions across the state.
“We’ve spent the last ten to twelve years trying to grow collection programs … now is the time to pivot to policy to really move the needle.” ~Walter Willis, Executive Director, SWALCO