The Park Forest Sustainability Office is selling home composter bins for $65 through the end of June or while supplies last.

Sustainability Coordinator Carrie Malfeo said the bins were originally being sold in April to celebrate Earth Month. However, she has a few dozen bins still available and would like to encourage residents to purchase one. Malfeo said composter bins play a vital role in sustainability.

"When people divert fruit, veggie scraps to home composter bins, they're helping the environment by reducing methane emissions from food waste sent to landfills," Malfeo said. "Also, composting adds organic matter to the soil and increases the nutrient content and biodiversity of microbes in the soil."

Malfeo said the Village of Park Forest develops various initiatives to become more sustainable. In 2019, Park Forest approved a Climate Action and Resilience Plan. The new plan builds on Park Forest's Sustainability Plan adopted in 2012 to identify critical objectives and strategies needed to accomplish those goals, including reducing greenhouse gas emission levels by 26 percent by 2025. Malfeo said residents buying a home composter helps with those efforts.

"The Village is being proactive in its sustainability mission and wants to extend the opportunity to the community to do its part," Malfeo said. "Residents can get one of these bins and start composting, which will help improve Park Forest's ability to adapt to adverse climate impacts by helping soil absorb water and prevent runoff of pollutants during floods. It also helps soil hold more water for longer, mitigating the effects of drought."

Those interested in purchasing a home composter bin can visit this link Park Forest Shop | RecyclingConnections or contact Carrie Malfeo at 708-503-9372.