Medford Partners With Local Company On Composting Program

MEDFORD, MA — The city is partnering with local company Garbage to Garden to offer a residential curbside compost collection service, Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn and the Office of Planning, Development, and Sustainability announced Wednesday.

As of summer 2021, Medford residents now have the option to contract directly with Garbage to Garden for curbside composting pickup at a special rate. The city selected Garbage to Garden as a preferred vendor after reviewing proposals through a Request for Proposals process this spring.

Composting is a process of recycling organic matter, like leaves and food scraps, creating a nutrient-rich soil frequently used by gardeners. This can involve putting these materials in a separate container to naturally break down and be picked up on a weekly basis by a curbside composting service such as Garbage to Garden.

"I am excited that we are finally able to launch a curbside composting program in Medford," Lungo-Koehn said. "I know there are households that already compost who will benefit from potentially lower rates, and I have also heard from many residents who are interested in starting to compost in their households - my own family included!"

The city will not directly fund the program, but will connect interested residents with Garbage to Garden for private pickup at a reduced rate. As more residents subscribe, the rate will decrease for all participants.

Residents who subscribe will also make a one-time purchase of a 12-gallon locking, rolling bin to hold food scraps and other compostable material. Medford's sanitarians reviewed the options for composting containers and have decided these locking bins are preferable to backyard composting and trash cans for preventing rodents.

"While many residents like to compost in their yards, that’s not an option for everyone, and it turns out that when you use a commercial composting company you can divert a huge amount of your waste out of the regular trash stream," Alicia Hunt, director of Planning, Development and Sustainability, said. "My family is looking forward to composting tissues, pet hair and laundry lint in addition to all kinds of food products. Additionally, our staff are excited to work with the school system to implement this program in the schools."

Detailed instructions on what is compostable will be provided by Garbage to Garden. The composting service through Garbage to Garden can be provided to all households, including multi-family residences. For residents from low-income households, the City has starter packs available which include the rolling bin, a counter-top bin, and two rolls of compostable bin liners.

"It's been our mission since 2012 to make household composting easy and accessible to all -- we’re excited to partner with the residents of Medford to rebuild our soil rather than increase landfills and greenhouse gasses," Tyler Frank, founder and president of Garbage to Garden, said. "Food scraps are the largest component of municipal waste, and for every 3 households that join the program we will reduce the trash by one ton every year!"

The City is also exploring options for discounted rates for interested low-income households. Contact ocd@medford-ma.gov or 781-393-2480 before subscribing to request the income-eligible starter packs or to express interest in the further discounted service.

For more information on composting, visit Frequently Asked Questions at https://tinyurl.com/medford-compostFAQ, or contact the Office of Planning, Development, and Sustainability at ocd@medford-ma.gov or 781-393-2480.