Kane County committee approves three subawards to pilot composting and food-waste reduction

The Kane County Energy and Environmental Committee on April 11 approved three separate subaward agreements to implement pilot projects for composting and food-waste reduction using a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant awarded to the county.

The committee authorized a subaward with the Northern Illinois Food Bank to depack and send inedible donated food to an anaerobic digester, a subaward with Advocate Sherman Hospital for a waste audit and back-of-house food-waste separation, and a subaward with the Kane County Cougars to collect kitchen and catering food waste at the ballpark.

Claire Ryan, county solid-waste staff, said the county applied after USDA issued a notice of funding availability last June and that the grant had an official start date of March 1. "We essentially lost a month of the project timeline," Ryan said, describing a brief federal delay while USDA sought clarification on how the National Environmental Policy Act would apply. Ryan said the county signed the federal agreement in late March and moved quickly to place subawards.

The packet for the food-bank subaward shows a maximum invoicing amount of $211,200 and requires documentation of $52,800 in non‑federal matching funds; Ryan said the match can be either documented spending or in‑kind staff time. She described the food bank's need for automated depackaging and said the food would be processed at an anaerobic digester; the methane recovered from digestion would be injected into the gas stream that supplies some households in South Side Chicago, she said.

Committee member Ellis moved the first resolution; the roll calls on each subaward were unanimous among members present. On the Northern Illinois Food Bank subaward the roll call recorded votes as: Allen — yes; Caius (listed in roll call as Kias/Caius) — yes; Hennessy — yes; Young — yes; Bates (chair) — yes.

Ryan said the draft subaward language was adapted from prior county grant templates and that the state's attorney had reviewed the documents and asked for a small number of wording edits, which staff will implement before final execution. She also said the county will separately bid to provide composting services for the county jail/Adult Justice Center rather than use the subaward route.

Committee members asked for clarification of how money flows in the subaward model. Ryan said the county will pass federal funds to subawardees after they submit invoices for work done; organizations may document match by reporting their own spending or staff time and that county staff will forward that documentation to USDA. "They don't ever, at any point, send the county money as match," she said.

The committee was told one state-level requirement affects the Cougars pilot: a new mandate requires event facilities with capacity above 3,500 to recycle and in some cases compost. Ryan said the Cougars' pilot will help bring the team into compliance and produce a manual other hospitals or venues can use if the Sherman pilot succeeds.

Votes at a glance

- TMP 25419 — Authorizing subaward agreement with Northern Illinois Food Bank (motion moved by Ellis; seconded by Alan). Vote: Allen — yes; Caius/Kias — yes; Hennessy — yes; Young — yes; Bates — yes. Outcome: approved. Key terms: subaward up to $211,200; required nonfederal match $52,800 (documented by subawardee). Funding source: USDA grant; start date listed as March 1, 2025; implementation includes hauling and processing off-site (commercial composting or anaerobic digestion).

- TMP 205425 — Authorizing subaward agreement with Advocate Sherman Hospital (motion moved/seconded; roll-call unanimous). Outcome: approved. Key terms: Sherman to perform a waste audit and implement back-of-house separation and collection for composting; match and invoicing to be documented by the hospital. Specific subaward ceiling not specified in the committee discussion packet excerpt.

- TMP 205426 — Authorizing subaward agreement with the Kane County Cougars (motion moved/seconded; roll-call unanimous). Outcome: approved. Key terms: Cougars to pilot back-of-house food-waste collection at the stadium; the pilot is structured as a subaward and will include documentation intended to guide other venues.

Why it matters

The three subawards are the county's first pass at using USDA funds to reduce food waste and divert organics from landfill through depackaging, hauling and either commercial composting or anaerobic digestion. The county said the pilots will produce operational templates other organizations can use and will document match obligations for USDA reporting.

What the committee directed next

Staff said they will incorporate minor edits requested by the state's attorney, finalize subaward language, and begin processing invoices once the subawards are executed. Separately, the county plans to advertise a bid to secure long‑term hauling/composting services for the Adult Justice Center.

Ending

Committee Chair Mavis Bates thanked staff for the work; all three measures passed unanimously. Staff told the committee it will return with executed agreements and updates on early implementation and invoicing. The committee did not discuss any amendments to the subawards during the meeting.