Alex Ruppenthal
Under the new measure, introduced by state Rep. Carol Sente, D-Vernon Hills, and signed into law Monday by Gov. Bruce Rauner, state agencies must request a bid for compost as part of any landscaping project that uses off-site soil. Agencies must use compost in the project if the bid is equal to or less than using soil alone.
“One of our goals with composting has been to increase the end market for finished compost because that will create more incentives to take those items in,” said Jennifer Walling, executive director of the Illinois Environmental Council, which supported the legislation.