Thanks goes out to Marley Finnegan, IFSCC Education Committee Member and Founder of Events of Purpose, for this blog submission. Additionally, IFSCC appreciates the resources and follow up opportunities provided by IFSCC partners in the Large Event Facilities Act (LEFA) Webinar Planning Team: Illinois Recycling Foundation and Chicago Sustainability Task Force (CSTF).
Top: Wrigley Field is an example of a large event venue covered by the new law. Most food scraps generated in the stadium are composted, according to Stephanie Katsaros with Bright Beat, Sustainability Advisor to the Chicago Cubs. Photo by John Nunu Zomot
When was the last time that you attended a sporting event, festival, business meeting or convention with a large group? What drew you to the experience? Was it the opportunity to see your favorite team, engage with interesting intellectual queries or network with peers? Whatever the occasion – do you have any recollection of where your waste went?
The fact is, our waste makes a huge environmental impact. Re-routing organic matter away from landfill is a strong climate solution within humanity’s mission to halt global temperature increases through emissions reduction. While the trajectory of the planet’s warming is headed toward dangerous levels, there are countless people across the globe working to support innovation and education to circumvent that.
See the US EPA website for more food waste graphics.
The great news? Illinois has implemented legislation which requires large facilities to divert organic matter, and recyclable material away from landfill in ways which are supportive of our collective future. The better news? Venues, stadiums, airports and arenas all over the world have already implemented these initiatives and are seeing incredible responses from fans, attendees and concertgoers alike.
Why? Because aligning action in support of climate-friendly behaviors feels GREAT.
In November 2024, Cook County Department of Environment and Sustainability and Chicago Sustainability Task Force hosted an Event/Venue Listening + Working Session, gathering city and county leaders, venues, food service operators, organics haulers and processors, food rescue and reuse stakeholders and advocates, and more interested parties. There was great collaborative energy in the room, and active inspiration drawn from the successes shared by attendees, including the Cubs’ 2024 composting and donations tonnage, the Bears’ new reuse initiative, the ongoing success of Collective Resource Compost Cooperative hauling cleanly sorted organics from Live Nation’s Northerly Island venue (68.8 tons since 2019), and other stories illustrating how your favorite large event venues can comply with new recycling + composting requirements, as stipulated by the following legislation:
The Large Event Facilities Act states that “on and after January 1, 2025, an owner or operator of an event facility that has a maximum legal capacity or occupancy of at least 3,500 persons shall provide for (i) the recycling of items, including, but not limited to, glass, aluminum cans, cardboard, paper, and plastic beverage cups or bottles that are generated at a public meeting or public event held at the event facility, (ii) the transfer of these recyclable materials to a recycling center for processing, and (iii) the composting of organic waste, which shall be collected separate from the collection of recyclable materials.
“Event facility” means a structure for holding public meetings or public events, including, but not limited to, baseball games, football games, hockey games, automobile races, or other musical, dramatic, artistic, social, and athletic events. “Event facility” includes a convention center. “Event facility” does not include school stadiums.”
This group of committed stakeholders ideated on this immense opportunity for sustainable innovation within the region.
In the first breakout session, a number of key Barriers and Challenges were categorized and identified as:
- Compost Contamination
- Infrastructure Needs
- Policy Influence
- People: Fans and Staff
- Cost
Next, there were an exciting number of thoughtful Solutions and Opportunities hatched across the large group of 6 breakout tables. Just a few highlights include:
- Standard Toolkit: for implementation and impact measurement
- Communication Plan
- Brand/EPR Sponsorships
- Fines Reinvested Into Program Support
- Reuse Prioritization and Infrastructure
Education and behavior change are critical to climate solutions, and this legislation provides the opportunity for Illinois’ large entertainment venues to demonstrate and disseminate education around proper composting, recycling and waste diversion practices, and support the creation of more green jobs, fewer emissions, and waste “designed away” from landfills.
Municipal solid waste landfills are the third-largest source of methane emissions from human activities in the United States. Food waste comprises about 24 percent of municipal solid waste disposed of in landfills. Due to its quick decay rate, food waste in landfills is contributing to more methane emissions than any other landfilled materials. An estimated 58 percent of the fugitive methane emissions (i.e., those released to the atmosphere) from municipal solid waste landfills are from landfilled food waste [EPA]. Illinois is now poised for infrastructural evolution which, if invested in appropriately, has huge potential to reduce local emissions and improve air quality.
So – next time you attend a sporting event, festival, concert, conference, meeting or otherwise – notice where the waste is going and know that waste never goes “away” – it always has to go somewhere. And for large event venues, recycling and composting are the law.
Blog Update: Large Event Facilities Act (LEFA) Webinar Takeaways
Nearly 150 industry professionals gathered virtually on April 10, 2025 for a comprehensive discussion on implementing Illinois’ Large Event Facilities Act (LEFA). The collaborative webinar, hosted by the Illinois Recycling Foundation (IRF), Illinois Food Scrap & Composting Coalition (IFSCC), and Chicago Sustainability Task Force (CSTF), provided a forum for venues, food service operators, government agencies, haulers, and composters to discuss the practical aspects of complying with this important legislation. Huge thanks goes out to IFSCC Board Member, Stephanie Katsaros, for her facilitation and co-planning expertise. Watch the recording HERE.
The Illinois Recycling Foundation provided a summary of the webinar HERE.
Note: The Illinois Large Event Facilities Toolkit is in development now! The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Education Team began the development and framework, and key elements continue to be suggested and added to the toolkit to support implementation and success of the Large Event Facilities Act (LEFA) in Illinois.
The Illinois Recycling Foundation invites attendees to join the upcoming Illinois Circularity Conference on October 14-15, 2025, in East Peoria, where LEFA implementation will be a featured topic.
The April 10 webinar was sponsored by IFSCC Organization Member BradleyWorks Sustainable Culinary and Platinum Sustaining IFSCC Member WasteNot Compost among others.