In August 2022, the City of Boston launched a free, curbside food waste collection service for residents. Year one enrollment, which allowed for the participation of 10,000 households, filled up within the first couple WEEKS, prompting the City to expedite the expansion of this program. In year two, 10,000 more households were added in the summer of 2023 as planned – with room for an additional 10,000 added for the fall.
How it works:
Participation in this program is as easy and convenient as placing your trash and recycling curbside, with a new separate bin for food waste and compostables. Once enrolled, you will receive a starter kit including a kitchen container, a roll of certified compostable liners, and a curbside bin (available in two sizes*). Your kit will also include educational materials that list accepted items and best practices. Your food waste will be collected weekly on your trash and recycling day.
*A smaller 5-gallon curbside bucket is now available. Select between the 12-gallon bin OR the 5 gallon bucket at sign up. If you already receive service and would like to change your curbside container, please contact us.
For weekly collection:
| 1. Line your bin and start collecting your food scraps. |
| Use a paper bag or certified compostable liner. For a list of accepted items, please visit our FAQ. |
| 2. Weekly Curbside Collection. |
| Place your bin curbside by 6am on your weekly trash day. We recommend you rinse your bin after service to keep it clean. |
| 3. We’ll take it from here! |
| Collected food scraps will be processed into nutrient-rich compost at a composting facility in West Bridgewater, or recycled through anaerobic digestion to create clean energy. Learn more about both of these processes here. |
For more details on this program, visit boston.gov/food-waste.
Over three years, one household can divert roughly 1 TON of food scraps from the waste stream.
Roughly one-third of household waste is made up of food waste and organic materials. Help Boston reach its zero-waste goals: use your curbside food waste bin to collect these items to be recycled instead of wasted!