Community Corner

Boston Launches Pilot Compost Drop-off Program

Food scraps and other compostable materials can be taken to farmers markets in Dorchester, Allston and Jamaica Plain through October.

By Becca Manning

Farmers markets aren't just for buying anymore.

From the week of August 5 through October, Boston residents can drop off their compostable food scraps for free at farmers markets in Dorchester, Allston and Jamaica Plain, part of a pilot residential composting program that is part of the Greenovate Boston initiative. Materials will be converted into compost for a local farm.

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“This free program will create a cleaner, more sustainable Boston—while supporting healthy food and farms,” officials said in a press release.

Drop-off sites include:

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  • Bowdoin-Geneva—230 Bowdoin St., Dorchester; Thursdays between 2:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
  • Harvard-Allston—168 Western Ave., Allston; Fridays between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.
  • Egleston Square—45 Brookside Ave., Jamaica Plain; Saturdays between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Acceptable materials for drop-off include: fruit and vegetable scraps; non-greasy food scraps such as rice, pasta, bread and cereal; coffee grounds and filters; tea bags; egg and nut shells; pits; cut or dried flowers; houseplants and potting soil.

Materials that should not be mixed in with compostables include: chicken, fish and other meats; greasy food scraps; fat, oil and dairy; animal waste; litter or bedding; coal or charcoal; coconuts; and infested plants and soil.

For more information about the project, visit greenovateboston.org or email food@cityofboson.gov. You can also follow the project on Twitter at #CompostBos.

Greenovate Boston is an effort to make Boston greener, healthier and more prosperous by working toward Mayor Thomas Menino’s goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by 2020 and 80 percent by 2050.

Can't make it to one of these markets? Check out Charlestown-based Bootstrap Compost, a company that picks up food scraps at your doorstep and delivers fresh compost for your garden in return.


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