Cook County Jail Launches Composting Pilot to Support Urban Farming (Cook County IL) – The Cook County Sheriff’s Office has launched a composting pilot program at the jail’s Central Kitchen, collecting nearly 19,000 pounds of compostable waste in its first two weeks, Sheriff Thomas J. Dart announced.
The program, which began August 19, connects the jail’s food preparation operations with its long-running Urban Farming Program. Food scraps that once went to waste will now be turned into compost, nourishing the same gardens where individuals in custody grow produce for local farmers markets.
“There’s a transformative power of working with your hands, and this program adds another dimension,” Dart said. “When individuals learn to grow food, prepare meals, and return food waste back into the earth, they gain skills that foster both self-sufficiency and sustainability.”
The initiative is a partnership with WasteNot, Inc., a Chicago-based composting company. CEO Liam Donnelly led training sessions for Central Kitchen workers on composting basics, identifying food scraps, and applying the practice as a sustainable skill with job potential. Waste is collected three times weekly and processed at WasteNot’s commercial facility, with finished compost returning in the spring to support the jail’s gardens.
The Urban Farming Program has operated for more than 25 years, producing over 50 tons of fresh produce for nonprofits, certifying more than 200 Master Gardeners, and teaching horticulture to more than 500 individuals in custody. Dart said the composting pilot deepens the program’s mission of combining sustainability, education, and rehabilitation.
Cook County Jail Launches Composting Pilot to Support Urban Farming
