Composting Company, First Encouraged By City Of Chicago, Now Facing City Shutdown

By Jerome McDonnell
Ed Hubbard, founder of Nature’s Little Recyclers, began the business in October 2012, channeling his inspiration from a small business he had as a kid.
Ed Hubbard, founder of Nature’s Little Recyclers, began the business in October 2012, channeling his inspiration from a small business he had as a kid. Courtesy of Nature’s Little Recyclers
Ed Hubbard, founder of Nature’s Little Recyclers, began the business in October 2012, channeling his inspiration from a small business he had as a kid.
Ed Hubbard, founder of Nature’s Little Recyclers, began the business in October 2012, channeling his inspiration from a small business he had as a kid. Courtesy of Nature’s Little Recyclers

Composting Company, First Encouraged By City Of Chicago, Now Facing City Shutdown

By Jerome McDonnell
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We at WBEZ put around 200 lbs of organic waste into our compost pails every month. That means over the course of a year, 0.7 tons fewer greenhouse gases go into the air. The organization that turns our waste in compost is Nature’s Little Recyclers (NLR). They then sell the much-needed compost to Chicago-area community gardens. After receiving encouragement from the Chicago city government to start their composting business, NLR’s father-and-son proprietors, Ed and Dale Hubbard, are now in danger of being shut down by the City of Chicago Health Department​. One of their sites was recently bulldozed by the city, with little warning. The Hubbards join us to talk about the controversy, and their belief in the need for more citizen composters to help save our ecosystem.