Somerville Begins New Community Curbside Composting Program

Somerville has announced a new initiative with the curbside composting company Garbage to Garden to create a compost disposal system for residents.

This new pilot program will permit curbside food waste collection for up to 1,200 households in East Somerville through mid-2027. Based on the results of the food waste collection effort, municipal officials will determine whether municipal composting can be beneficial toward supporting climate resilience goals. If the pilot is successful, the program could expand to the greater Somerville community.

According to a Patch of Somerville report, residents must meet several eligibility requirements to participate:

Those eligible to participate will receive a kitchen container and a curbside composting bin that will be collected on designated recycling and garbage collection days. An enrollment form has not been released, but it will be forthcoming.

The city's Consumption-Based Emissions Inventory estimates that food waste is the single largest source of resident carbon emissions within Somerville, ahead of transportation and residential heating and electricity usage.

According to Somerville's Zero Waste Plan and Climate Forward 2024, the city has established waste diversion goals to reduce the amount of garbage generated in Somerville 30% by 2030 and 90% by 2050. The Somerville Times reported that, in Massachusetts, plant and animal waste and compostable paper contribute to approximately 30% of municipal solid waste.

Garbage to Garden is a waste management service that began in Portland, Maine. It now serves more than 40,000 businesses, events, households, restaurants, and schools throughout Maine and Massachusetts. Learn more on the Garbage to Garden website.