Cambridge Just Expanded Its Free Curbside Composting Program

CAMBRIDGE, MA — If you've noticed another barrel curbside around town on trash day, you're not imagining things: Cambridge expanded its curbside compost pickup to all 1-12 unit buildings in the city on April 2, 2018. This is part of a plan to fulfill a goal city officials set in 2009 to reduce resident trash disposal by 30 percent by the year 2020 and by 80 percent by 2050. As of Monday, some 25,000 households ( or 8,100 buildings) can participate in the free program.

Cambridge is one of the first municipalities in New England to offer citywide curbside compost collection free to residents.

Composting has deep roots in Cambridge. Many Cambridge residents remember placing food scraps in in-ground buckets which were then collected to feed to pigs. The city has assisted with backyard composting, offered worm composting workshops, and helped businesses set up composting operations. In addition to piloting curbside collection, Cambridge now composts in every school, and also maintains three food scrap drop-off locations.

Each building gets a green bin to keep with their trash and recycling bins and then a smaller bin for each unit to put in their kitchen. The idea is put food scraps in the container instead of into the trash or down the garbage disposal. The green barrel, just like the other trash and recycling barrels get put out curbside each week and the process starts over.

Residents in cities like San Francisco and New York City have been composting at the curb for years as a way for folks to reduce waste. Massachusetts is home to many pilot curbside compost collection programs - but those aren't free.

Officials say they hope to add buildings with more than 12 units at some point to the program, but there's not an ETA for that yet.

Officials say if you live in a building of 12 units or less and did not receive a bin as of the end of the day on Monday, Apr. 9, please email Compost@CambridgeMA.gov.

Check out the city's nifty video on what to compost:

More information, including compost instructions in multiple languages, can be found at www.cambridgema.gov/compost.

Photo courtesy.