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SCARCE reports record pumpkin‑smash turnout, expanded cooking‑oil collections and wider recycling outreach in DuPage County
Summary
SCARCE said 2024 brought the county’s largest pumpkin‑smash collections and growth in reuse and recycling programs, including new cooking oil pop‑ups, increased book reuse outlets and 27 events already planned for 2025.
Kate (SCARCE) told the DuPage County Sustainability Committee that SCARCE saw its largest pumpkin‑smash turnout and highest tonnage collected in DuPage County during the last season. The program expanded to three Naperville locations and the group captured more compostable material to reduce landfill methane, she said.
SCARCE reported more than 200 gallons of cooking oil collected at several pop‑up sites on a single morning and said Itasca now offers cooking‑oil drop‑off five days a week. The group also noted improvements in recycling data: in 2024 SCARCE reported more than 500,000 pounds of paper, cardboard and books recycled, and nearly 5,000 pounds of scrap metal reported through a new partnership with Capital Metals.
The organization said it is moving more books into reuse channels — for jails, food pantries and literacy projects — rather than recycling them. SCARCE also highlighted 89 programs run around the holidays that reached about 1,200 people, a repair fair on Jan. 25 that had about 90 attendees and 190 items repaired or sharpened in 3½ hours, and the return of a Downers Grove recycling event on Oct. 4.
SCARCE described a teacher institute, a design challenge for high school students on April 15, and an Earth Flag ceremony planned for April 22 at Forest Glen School in Glen Ellen. The group said two former design‑challenge participants have applied for SCARCE internships, demonstrating continuity between programming and local workforce opportunities.
Kate asked committee members to note the geographic size of DuPage County and the group’s effort to locate events across the county to maximize access, and she summarized this year’s calendar: SCARCE already has 27 Saturday events scheduled for 2025, including sustainability fairs and collections.
Why it matters: SCARCE’s expanded collections and reuse partnerships reduce materials sent to landfill, provide community education, and help local jurisdictions meet waste‑management and sustainability goals.
