Dig into City Composting with the Boston Nature Center

Your Scraps Can Make a Difference: Join Boston’s Composting Movement

Are you tired of tossing food scraps into the trash knowing they’ll just end up in a landfill? You’re not alone—and now, there’s a better way. Each year, Massachusetts sends over 1 million tons of food waste to landfills. As a Boston resident, you have a unique opportunity to be a part of the solution right from your own kitchen.

Whether you’re looking to cut down on your household waste, lower your carbon footprint, or create nutrient-rich soil for your garden, composting is one of the easiest and most impactful changes you can make. And the city is making it more accessible than ever. With initiatives like Zero Waste Boston and the Boston Nature Center’s free Composting Certificate Program, you now have convenient, practical options to get started—whether it’s curbside pickup, community drop-offs, or hands-on compost education. 

Start small. Make a big difference. Composting in Boston is no longer just for environmentalists—it’s for anyone who wants cleaner habits, greener spaces, and a healthier future.

Explore Your Composting Options

Curbside Food Waste Collection

If you live in a building with six units or fewer and receive city trash collection, Boston provides a free, weekly curbside food waste collection service. Upon enrollment, participants receive a starter kit, including a kitchen container, compostable liners, and a curbside bin. Food waste is collected weekly on your regular trash and recycling day, making it easy to add this eco-friendly waste disposal option to your existing routine. 

Project Oscar: Community Drop-Off Bins

For residents in larger buildings or those not eligible for curbside collection, Project Oscar offers 24/7 community food waste drop-off bins located throughout the city. Your kitchen scraps will contribute to larger projects, where the collected waste is composted and utilized in local agriculture and landscaping.

Home Composting

Residents can also create their own home composting systems using backyard bins or indoor composters. This gives you a hands-on approach to food scraps and yard waste management, where you create the nutrient-rich compost that you can then use in home gardens and plants. 

Boston Nature Center’s Free Composting Program Provides All You Need

The composting options above can make a serious impact on your household waste—but we’re just scratching the surface! To rally our neighborhood loam-lovers and foster the connections needed to make lasting change, the Boston Nature Center and the City of Boston are partnering together to offer a FREE Boston Compost Certificate Program. At the end of the class, you will:

• Have a better understanding of how city waste is processed and its impacts
• Set up your own vermicomposting bin to take home
• Learn the ins and outs of Boston composting, including what makes a healthy compost and the city programs you can join
• Take field trips to large-scale composting sites
• Brainstorm other community actions you can take to reduce Boston’s carbon footprint with new friends and changemakers

Every household produces waste, but not all waste is alike. To make sure your food scraps, garden clippings, and dead leaves stay out of landfills and return to the natural cycle of decomposition, all you need is curiosity and a commitment to try.