News

Avoid contact with the Alewife Brook in Cambridge due to potential harmful bacteria and other pollutants. Warning in effect until 5 a.m., January 28, 2023. People and pets should avoid contact with the Alewife Brook and parts of the Mystic River from January 26-28 due to the release of stormwater mixed with sewage into the brook.

In observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday on Monday, January 16, 2023, City of Cambridge offices, libraries, and senior centers will be closed and curbside collection service will be suspended. Additionally, parking meter/pay station payments will not be required.

The City is pleased to release the 2020 Canopy Assessment completed by the University of Vermont, which shows that the implementation of the Urban Forestry Master Plan is improving our tree canopy. Building canopy is a slow and steady race, but we are seeing substantive progress. The investments in tree plantings and maintenance combined with tree preservation initiatives are reversing the loss of tree canopy.

Curbside pick-up of un-decorated Christmas trees will occur January 3-13 on your curbside collection day. Decorations must be removed and trees should not be in a plastic bag.

City of Cambridge offices, libraries, and senior centers will be closed on Monday, January 2, 2023, in observance of the New Year’s holiday. Please also note that all library locations will also be closed on Sunday, January 1, 2023. Parking meter payments will not be required at Cambridge parking meters and parking meter pay stations on January 1 and 2, 2023.

Curbside collection of trash, recycling, compost, and yard waste will be suspended on Thursday, November 24 and will be one day behind schedule the rest of the week. Street cleaning will be suspended on both Thursday and Friday November 24-25. Streets that would have normally been swept on Thursday, November 24 will be made up on November 29, and streets that would have normally been swept on Friday, November 25 will be made up on November 30. The CIC Health COVID-19 test site at 295 Third Street will close on Wednesday, November 23 at 12 p.m. and will remain closed November 24-26. Testing will resume as normal on Sunday, November 27.

Beginning November 15, the DPW and its contractor will be working at various locations along Mass Ave between Waterhouse Street and Churchill Ave.

City Manager Yi-An Huang is seeking volunteers to serve on a new Working Group to help guide the Mass Ave Partial Construction Project on Mass Ave, from Waterhouse Street to Alewife Brook Parkway. The Working Group is anticipated to be made up of 15-20 members, representing a diverse set of interests along the Mass Ave corridor to ensure that each perspective is heard and that there is adequate representation reporting back to the larger community. The Working Group will include residents, business owners, institutional representatives, and a variety of people that use the corridor to live, work, walk, bike or take the bus.

City Manager Yi-An Huang is seeking Cambridge residents, business owners, and local professionals interested in serving on the Recycling Advisory Committee (RAC) beginning in January 2023. The RAC is a volunteer committee which provides advice, recommendations, and assistance to the Department of Public Works (DPW) regarding recycling, composting, reuse, and waste reduction. The RAC does this through research, feedback, public outreach, and event planning. The RAC has helped the city implement the Zero Waste Master Plan, curbside composting, Fix-It Clinics, marketing and education, and other important initiatives that have made Cambridge a national leader in waste reduction.

The Department of Public Works (DPW) asks residents and businesses to help us collect leaves from sidewalks, streets and storm drains. Collecting leaves from the street helps our local and global environment by protecting our local ecosystem and fighting climate change.