Skokie, IL Landscaping Rules: Composting (2026)

Section 86-17(b), Landscape and Food Scrap Composting, defines Backyard Composting as an operation that has no more than 25 cubic feet of landscape waste and composting material on site at any one time and is for personal use only, not commercial activity. An Approved Composting Bin is any bin meeting specifications outlined by the Director of the Skokie Health Department or a designee, as those specifications may be amended over time; commercial bin models must also be approved by the Health Department. Permitted Composting Materials are landscape waste such as grass clippings, leaves and twigs, plus food scraps including but not limited to vegetable scraps, fruit peels, coffee grounds, egg shells and tea leaves.

Open compost piles of any kind are not permitted anywhere in the Village. Backyard Composting is allowed only in R1 Single-Family and R2 Single-Family residential zoning districts, and only for the benefit of the owner or occupant of the residence; the Approved Composting Bin itself must sit in a rear yard and be placed at least 5 feet from all side yard lot lines. Bin owners must maintain the bin so it does not attract pests or create noxious odors, and if a bin is damaged or penetrated by rodents or another pest, the owner or occupant must immediately dismantle or destroy it and dispose of all material, or arrange to have that done; failing to do so is itself a violation of the section.

The Skokie Health Department has express authority to enter private property to inspect bins in blocks with a known rodent or pest infestation, and if an inspected bin is found to be a direct cause of the infestation, the Department can order the owner to make specified changes or to dismantle, destroy and remove the bin and its material; if the owner fails to act, the Department may enter the property itself, at the owner's expense, to eradicate the infestation.