Curbside Food Waste Pickup

All Food Scraps including:

• Fruits & Vegetables, pits, cores & peels
• Meat, Poultry, Fish, Seafood, Bones & Shells
• Dairy (no liquids please)
• Bread & Grains
• Leftovers
  
  

The ONLY nonfood items accepted are:

• Tea Bags
• Coffee Grounds & Filters
• Napkins & Paper Towels
• Cut Flowers
• Compostable bags

**No containers or packaging – even if it says ‘compostable’.

Fill out this form to request a new cart or swap out a broken one.

If you live in a 1-unit building or townhouse: Request a small food waste cart here.

If you live in a building with 2 to 12 units: Request a large food waste cart to share with neighbors here.

If you live in a building with more than 12 units: Ask your building manager to request food waste pickup or email DPW directly at recycle@cambridgema.gov.

All Cambridge residents are welcome to drop off food scraps anytime at green carts throughout the City. Here is a map to help you find the most convenient location.

Fill out this form to request a new cart or swap out a broken one.

If you live in a 1-unit building or townhouse: Request a small food waste cart here.

If you live in a building with 2 to 12 units: Request a large food waste cart to share with neighbors here.

If you live in a building with more than 12 units: Ask your building manager to request food waste pickup or email DPW directly at recycle@cambridgema.gov.

All Cambridge residents are welcome to drop off food scraps anytime at green carts throughout the City. Here is a map to help you find the most convenient location.

DPW brings food scraps to the CORe facility in Charlestown where it is blended into a liquid slurry. The slurry is sent to an anaerobic digestion (AD) facility at the Greater Lawrence Sanitary District where microbes eat the food and make gas, which is used to make clean energy in the form of heat and electricity.

See an AD fact sheet here.

Read more about the environmental benefits of the City’s processor by reviewing this lifecycle analysis here.

What attracts rodents is easy access to food. With food waste pickup, residents move food out of trash carts and dumpsters, which often invite unwanted visitors because they are easy to get into. Placing food waste in the City’s green Food Waste carts is more secure because the carts have locking lids. Note: If you are having trouble with rodents, we may be able to help. Email us at Recycle@CambridgeMa.Gov.

Here are some of our favorite tips to choose from:

• Change your food scraps bag every 3-4 days.
• Drain liquids before putting food scraps in your kitchen bin.
• Include all your food-soiled paper towels and napkins to help absorb liquids.
• Store your food scraps bag in the freezer until you have time to bring it to a food waste cart.
• Empty liquid on the bottom of your cart onto soil or grass and leave it upside down to dry out.
• Rinse your kitchen bin as needed and let it dry before using a new food scraps bag.
• Freeze meat, poultry, and fish or wrap in newspaper or paper towels.
• Sprinkle baking soda at the bottom of your cart to absorb moisture and odors.
• Place your tied food scraps bag inside a paper bag and roll it shut before placing it in the green cart.
• To get rid of summertime fruit flies, set a trap. In a glass jar with a metal lid, add a half inch of cider vinegar and a few drops of dish soap. Use a nail to hammer 5 or 6 holes in the lid. Replace the lid and place the jar next to your kitchen bin.
• Roll your food waste cart out to the curb for pickup every week, even when it’s not full.

The City gives away food scraps bags to residents a few times a year and provides a list of stores that sell them. We work with building managers to provide kitchen bins, food scraps bags and wall dispensers to distribute them, signs and information to share with residents.

Here's what residents and building managers can do to help:

• Let us know when you need kitchen bins for new residents.
• Let new residents and staff members know about food scraps pickup.
• Get in touch with us if you have questions, need help troubleshooting, or would like to work with us to boost participation.

To reduce the risk of costly drain clogs and sewer backups, we strongly urge residents to discontinue in-sink disposals.

Backyard composting is great! You may want to use curbside collection for certain items (eggshells, meat, bones, and dairy) or during the winter. If your backyard compost bin begins to attract rodents, you should switch to using the City’s food waste program.

Help us get more people participating!

• Let neighbors and friends know why you like food waste pickup.
• Share a photo of your kitchen bin on social media.
• Help another Cambridge resident get food waste pickup materials.
• Share with us your outreach ideas and we will be happy to assist.

Reduce your food waste.

• Keep your refrigerator clean and organized so you know what you have before you shop.
• Store leftovers in clear containers in the front of your refrigerator so you can see what’s in them.
• Properly store food.
• Use a shopping list.
• Use your freezer.

To learn more about waste reduction and find out about recycling and food waste events. Sign up for the monthly Recycling Newsletter.

Just like recycling carts, food waste carts are intended to be used by current residents and should remain onsite. If you do not share yours, please leave it empty and clean when you move out.