As the Crapo Hill Landfill fills up, New Bedford, Massachusetts, is urging residents to send less waste there.
The city’s latest push focuses on compostable food scraps, something many households still throw away every day.
Here’s what to know
Under a new partnership involving the Mayor’s Office, the Greater New Bedford Regional Refuse Management District, and Black Earth Compost, residents will receive expanded curbside food-scrap collection, according to WBSM.
City officials, including Mayor Jon Mitchell, hope the service will reduce the amount of organic material sent to Crapo Hill Landfill, where it rots and produces planet-warming gases, and help preserve the space that remains there.
The city said the partnership is designed “to launch a new curbside food scrap collection incentive program for New Bedford residents,” according to WBSM. Households that opt in would have food scraps picked up directly from their homes and made into compost instead of being thrown away with regular trash.
The first 100 residents to enroll will get starter kits from the Greater New Bedford Regional Refuse Management District. Each kit includes a wheeled 13-gallon curbside cart, compostable liners, a 2-gallon kitchen bin, additional liners for that bin, and a bag of Black Earth Compost potting soil, per WBSM.
Participation is optional, and pickup comes with a fee. According to WBSM, weekly collection will cost $21.99 a month or $119.99 for a six-month term, while every-other-week service costs $17.99 a month or $94.99 for six months.
More background
Food scraps can account for a meaningful share of household trash, and separating them can reduce the total volume sent to the landfill. It also diverts material that can be turned into a useful soil product and prevents it from turning into methane (a potent greenhouse gas).
Residents who want to participate can sign up through Black Earth Compost’s website. To help early residents get started, the city is offering free starter kits that provide the basic equipment needed to separate food waste at home.
People who do not want to pay for collection are also being directed to other food-waste diversion resources through newbedfordrecycling.org and trashandrecycling@newbedford-ma.gov, per WBSM.
Where can I learn more?
New Bedford’s voluntary program reflects a broader push to keep food waste out of landfills and use it as compost. Other cities are trying curbside pickup in different ways, and some have already moved from incentives to citywide rules.
• In Rhode Island, municipal leaders found curbside compost pickup made a noticeable dent in waste.
• In New York City, officials require food scraps in bins or residents risk fines.
• In Queens, New York, universal curbside composting scaled up to the country’s largest program.
These stories show how organic material diversion can start as an opt-in service and eventually become part of everyday waste policy.
Get TCD’s free newsletters for easy tips, smart advice, and a chance to earn $5,000 toward home upgrades. To see more stories like this one, change your Google preferences here.
Dining and Cooking