Look for sign at 2601 Wolf’s Crossing, one of two conveniently located sites where residents will have access to free compost on Sat., May 9, 2026.
The City of Naperville, in partnership with DuPage County, Will County, Midwest Compost, LLC, and Groot Industries, is hosting a free finished compost giveaway for Naperville residents. The event will take place from 9AM to 1PM on Sat., May 9, at two convenient locations in north and south Naperville. Residents are encouraged to stop by and collect compost for use in their gardens and landscapes.
BYO Buckets to collect compost
To best serve residents, the event will be held at two sites: the City-owned lot at 91st/Wolf’s Crossing, 2601 Wolf’s Crossing Road (Will County), and the Public Works Service Center, 180 Fort Hill Drive (DuPage County). Residents should bring their own buckets or bags to collect compost.
The ready-to-use compost is donated by Midwest Compost, LLC, one of two IEPA-permitted landscape waste facilities where Naperville’s yard waste and food scraps are processed. Groot Industries, the City’s garbage and recycling contractor, will transport the compost to both locations by truck at no cost. Public Works and Sustainability staff will be on-site to shovel compost into containers brought by residents. Signage will be in place to direct traffic flow and compost collection. Residents are welcome to take up to 20 gallons of compost that they must lift and transport in their own containers. Compost will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.
“International Compost Awareness Week, held during the first week of May, is an opportunity to build on Naperville residents’ growing interest in composting, as shown by the continued success of the Food Scrap Composting Program,” said Sustainability Manager Ben Mjolsness. “This event allows residents to see the benefits of composting from start to finish and highlights sustainable services in Naperville.”
Compost is considered “finished,” or ready to use, when it’s black, crumbly, has an earthy smell, and organic materials like food scraps and leaves are mostly unrecognizable. Using compost in landscaping boosts soil nutrients, improves structure, increases water retention, resists erosion, and acts as a natural fertilizer, promoting healthy plants and the environment.
For more information about environmental sustainability in Naperville, visit www.naperville.il.us/napersustainability.
For more information about the City of Naperville, visit www.naperville.il.us.
Above City News Prompts PN Editor’s Notes on Meaning of Sustainability…
The above news release from the City reminded us that during recent Naperville City Council meetings, public comments have encouraged elected officials to add “sustainability” to its mission statement.
And we began wondering how many additional words need apply for inclusion in the City’s statement of purpose. Is sustainability needed?
Currently, the City of Naperville mission states “To provide services that ensure a high quality of life, sound fiscal management, and a dynamic business environment, while creating an inclusive community that values diversity.”
After consulting the hard copy of our Unabridged Random House Dictionary of the English Language where 10 definitions of sustainable are cited, we also asked Artificial Intelligence. A.I. answered that there is “no single, universally agreed-upon number of definitions for sustainability, as it is a complex, contextual, and evolving concept.”
We also found that sustainability usually is used when referencing environment, society and economic issues.
One of the most common frameworks for defining sustainability was posted online by the Brundtland Commission (1987) “as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”
With all the evolving definitions today, sometimes trendy and biased, what will sustainability mean tomorrow and well into the future?
A quick online view of the City’s emphasis on sustainability (Sustainability Manager Ben Mjolsness was hired in 2021.) presents the City’s initiatives already are in place for 2026. At least 10 pages on the City’s website address sustainability. The costs of sustainability projects currently are integrated into broader municipal operations and capital improvement projects. The 2026 operating and capital budget totals $685.34 million.
PN’s life experiences have included a variety of exercises to help create mission statements for various nonprofit organizations. An effective mission statement, we learned, is a clear, concise broad focus of how an organization is going to leave an impact on supporters and the community. In fact, coaches who led the retreats aimed for us to create mission statements in 10 words or less. Already the City of Naperville mission statement is more than 20 words.
Before the mission statement for the City of Naperville becomes encumbered with another single word or words without clear definitions, let’s be careful what we add to the important statement that guides the City. Thank you. —Stephanie Penick
