Have you considered diverting your food scraps but were not sure what options are available for your apartment building? The simple answer is - there are several!

I have lived in multiple types of apartment buildings, and I have been able to find solutions to compost in all of them. I did not compost growing up, but I became passionate about food waste and landfill diversion in college. In the triple family apartment building I lived in during my college years, I was able to start composting with a curbside collection program. I got my roommates on board and we had the bucket of compost picked up every 2 weeks. The pickup service always left a clean bucket behind, which was great for a group of college kids that did not want to endure any extra cleaning.

My first apartment after college was a duplex, and for the first time, I had a little backyard with a small garden. Conveniently, my town subsidized home composting bins, so it was a fraction of the cost of what it would otherwise be to purchase online. I really enjoyed the convenience of being able to walk out my backdoor and dump my food waste whenever my indoor bucket filled up. Although I didn’t live there for too long, it was still a worthwhile experience to divert my food waste in my own backyard.

Now, I live in a multi-level condo building in Arlington. When we first moved in, I did not have a food waste plan and had no idea if I would be able to continue diverting my food waste. My building didn’t provide any resources for composting, and I didn’t have a nice backyard like I did in my previous apartment. Regardless, I did some research on the town’s website, and found a number of curbside pickup programs. Since I had success with these programs in the past, I figured I would give it another try! Now I have a bin that I keep in my apartment, always lined with a compostable bag, and it gets picked up weekly at the curb. It took a bit of coordination with the collection service to determine where to position my bin, but I was able to successfully find a place that worked with my building. I have not had any issues or complaints from anyone that lives in my building, and it gets picked up frequently enough that I never have to deal with terrible smells.

Arlington also has a third (and free!) solution if backyard compost or a curbside program isn’t right for you. Just collect your food scraps in a container or paper bag at home (store in your freezer to combat smells), and you can dump it in one of the towns “FiDO” bins in various locations. Although this option isn’t as convenient as a curbside pickup service, or getting it done in your own backyard, it can be a great place to start if you just want to test the waters of food scrap diversion!

Visit this Food Scrap Diversion page to learn more about how to divert food scraps in Arlington!

Interested in helping organize neighbors in your building? DPW can help, please contact us by filling out this form.

Zero Waste Arlington is a Town of Arlington committee focused on initiatives that reduce waste by residents and businesses. We’re a diverse and passionate group who are always seeking new ideas (and help)! Learn more and contact us directly on the Zero Waste Arlington webpage.
https://www.arlingtonma.gov/town-governance/all-boards-and-committees/recycling-committee