“Feed the Cart" Campaign Launches to Boost Recycling Across Kane County and the Chicago Region

Kane County is partnering with the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus (MMC) and neighboring counties on “Feed the Cart," the largest recycling education and improvement campaign in Illinois history.

The three-year initiative, funded through a $2 million U.S. EPA Recycling Education and Outreach grant, the largest awarded to Illinois in more than 30 years, aims to increase recycling rates by 15% and reduce contamination in the recycling stream.

The campaign covers six of the state's most populous counties: Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will, representing nearly eight million residents. While recycling is already well established in these communities, regional diversion rates have stalled at around 30–35%, short of the EPA's national goal of 50% by 2030.

In Kane County, “Feed the Cart" will promote consistent recycling education, encourage residents to recycle more effectively, and emphasize the importance of reducing contamination, such as keeping non-recyclables out of bins, to improve the quality and value of recyclable materials.

The campaign's goals are to:

• Increase participation in recycling programs.
• Improve the quality of materials placed into recycling carts.
• Highlight the environmental and economic benefits of recycling.
• Encourage residents and businesses to purchase products made from recycled materials.

The impact of “Feed the Cart" will be measured over three years, with results expected in 2027.

For more information visit -- feedthecart.org or kanecountyil.gov/recycling