2023: We Trashed Less, Composted More!

Monthly Updates from City of Cambridge DPW Recycling Division

Cambridge Sees Significant Reduction in Trash in 2023

Cambridge has yet again reduced trash as a community in 2023. Residents generated approximately 14.8 pounds of trash per household per week. This is down from 15.5 lbs/HH/week in 2022. See graph above to see historic trend of trash reduction.

Thank you to the Cambridge community for recycling, composting, and everything you do to send less trash to landfills and incinerators.

Service Reminders

Christmas Trees: The City's contractor will collect Christmas Trees at the curb on your regularly scheduled trash/recycle/compost collection day during the weeks of January 2 and January 8. After January 12th, Christmas trees can be brought to the Recycle Center through February 3 for proper disposal. Please don't bag the tree or leave decorations on the tree.

Holiday Schedule: Waste collection is one day delayed during the weeks of 1/1/24, and 1/15/24 due to holidays being observed on each of those Mondays. As usual, you can see your waste collection (and street cleaning) schedule at www.Cam bridgeMA.Gov/Recycle, or by downloading the Zero Waste Cambridge app (iOS / Google Play).

Yard Waste: Collection resumes April 1.

Food Scraps Diversion Hits New High in 2023!

The City's curbside residential and small business compost programs saw an all-time high in 2023. DPW collected more than 8.4 tons per day throughout the year, up from 7.3 tons per day in 2022--a 15% increase!

More buildings than ever offer the program, including a few buildings with more than 100 households. Keep talking to your neighbors about starting composting or contact us if you'd like some help expanding composting into your building.

Curious about where waste goes after it's collected in Cambridge?

On January 18, 6-7:30pm the City will host a Zoom webinar to have a discussion about what happens to our waste, why it's important to recycle and compost, and how you can help us reach our shared trash reduction goals. We'll dive into topics such as:

What is anaerobic digestion and why does the City's compost program send food waste there?
Where do recyclables go after the City collects them? And how do we actually know it's recycled?
What is the City doing to encourage reduce and reuse?
Answers to your great waste questions!

Bring your ideas and questions. It will be great to have this conversation as we start the process of creating a new 5-year Zero Waste Master Plan. Register for the webinar here.

Tour of Recycle facility

City officials and Recycling Advisory Committee (RAC) members were invited to an exclusive tour of Casella's newly retrofitted recycling sorting facility in Charlestown. The facility processes more than 650 tons of recycling daily from the Boston-area. Read more about the $20M upgraded facility here.

Sign-up for a no-cost home energy assessment to start saving energy and money!

A no-cost Mass Save home energy assessment can help you save energy, save money, and help make your home more comfortable year-round. After completing your assessment, you may be eligible to receive no-cost energy and water saving devices, no-cost air sealing, 75%-100% off the cost of approved insulation, generous rebates on high-efficiency appliances and heating and cooling equipment, and more.

To learn more and sign-up, visit: https://cambridgeenergyalliance.org/no-cost-energy-assessment/.

Upcoming Dates

Mon. 1/2 -Fri. 1/12: Curbside Christmas Tree Collection
Thurs. 1/18: Learn about what happens to Cambridge waste webinar, 6-7:30pm.
Mon. 4/1: Yard Waste Collection resumes.

Click Here to Join This Mailing List!

What Are We Reading?

Waste management experts rethink ways to recycle as costs increase (CBS News)

Upcycling to a circular food system (Food, Science, and Technology)

Boulder chooses deconstruction over demolition to divert waste from landfill (Aspen Public Radio)

Businessman crafts genius solution to one of the biggest problems with America’s landfills (The Cool Down)