On July 1st, 2024, the City of Medford launched a municipal curbside composting program in partnership with Garbage to Garden, at no cost to eligible residents. To be eligible for this free service, residents must live in Medford at an address with 4 units or fewer. Residents do need to opt in to receive service as enrollment is limited, but service will be phased in to all eligible residents over the next several years.
How it works:
You will be notified when you can start service, and a curbside bin will be delivered to your address. Begin collecting food scraps and compostables by utilizing the How To Guide included with your bin. On your weekly trash day, place your curbside composting bin at the curb with your trash bin for collection.
| 1. Line your bin and start collecting your food scraps! |
| Use a paper bag or certified compostable liner. For a list of accepted items, please visit our FAQ. |
| 2. Weekly Curbside Collection: |
| Place your bin curbside by 6 am on your weekly trash day. We recommend rinsing your bin each week after service to keep it clean. |
| 3. We’ll take it from here! |
| Food scraps collected in Medford will be processed into nutrient-rich compost at local farms and composting facilities. |
PROGRAM PARTNERS
This service is offered through a partnership between the City of Medford and Garbage to Garden.
CITY OF MEDFORD
In 2021, the City of Medford released their Climate Action and Adaptation Plan. Included in this plan are two goals for 2050: to achieve net zero emissions, and to reach Zero Waste. A municipal composting program supports both of these goals.
In 2021, the City of Medford launched a preferred vendor partnership with Garbage to Garden, offering curbside subscription service at a reduced rate of $8.99/month. To remove barriers to participation and to maximize diversion, the City of Medford requested proposals in 2023 for a municipal program free for residents. For more information about the City of Medford’s Waste and Recycling Services, click here.
GARBAGE TO GARDEN, INC.
Garbage to Garden began with an idea to make municipal-scale composting easy, clean, and accessible to all. Founded in 2012, our curbside compost service offers residents, schools, and commercial businesses a convenient way to recycle food scraps to renew our local soil. To meet the ever-growing demand for our services, our team has grown to 36 full-time employees in Maine and Massachusetts.
The ethos of Garbage to Garden is rooted in the spirit of sustainability and supporting the local economy as an engaged community member and responsible employer. We believe with the help and support of the community that we can reach our goal of eliminating food scraps from the waste stream to benefit the environment and our communities. By working with local farms and composting sites, this effort supports our local food system by returning nutrients to the soil. Garbage to Garden is known for innovative solutions to waste management, high-quality compost for gardens, and uncompromising reliability backed up with outstanding customer service.
Did you know?
One household composting for three years can divert roughly 1 TON of food scraps from the waste stream.
Roughly one-third to one-half of household waste is made up of food scraps and compostable materials. Sort your food scraps into your curbside composting bin to be composted instead of wasted!