BROOKLINE 一 Commissioner Erin Chute Gallentine is pleased to announce that the Town of Brookline’s Department of Public Works is launching a curbside composting incentive program, in partnership with Black Earth Compost.
The curbside composting incentive program, which is active now, is designed to encourage residential composting in Brookline. The incentive program is being funded through a Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) grant.
While supplies last, new Brookline residential subscribers of Black Earth Compost will receive a free compost starter kit, courtesy of the Department of Public Works. The kits include a Black Earth Compost curbside bin and compostable bin liner bags.
Black Earth Compost is based in Gloucester. The organization is focused on turning food scraps from residential and commercial subscribers into a nutrient-rich soil amendment. Brookline has partnered with Black Earth Compost since 2020 to encourage residents to subscribe to curbside organics collection at a fixed reduced price. Black Earth Compost accepts a variety of materials, including meat, bones, dairy, pizza boxes, and napkins. A full list of compostable materials can be found here.
When food waste material is sent to the landfill, it does not properly decompose. As a result, methane gas, a greenhouse gas that is 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide, is released into the air. Food waste that could be composted makes up approximately 30% of Massachusetts’ waste stream. Composting speeds up the natural process of decomposition and reverses global warming through deep carbon storage, which creates a final product that adds nutrients, moisture, and carbon to the soil.
Black Earth Compost offers a weekly pickup subscription option of $59.99 per 6 months, or an every other week pickup subscription option of $44.99 per 6 months. To date, 1,631 households in Brookline have subscribed to Black Earth Compost. Once 3,000 Brookline households are subscribed to Black Earth Compost, the price will lower to $49.99 per 6 months for weekly pickup and $37.99 per six months for pickup every other week.
“Composting is one of the most effective strategies to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions and divert our waste from landfills and incinerators,” said Zero Waste Program Manager Katie Weatherseed. “We hope that by offering these free starter kits, we can lower the entry barrier to composting and support residents who may be considering signing up for Black Earth Compost but haven’t yet taken the plunge.”
The Department of Public Works recently completed its first Zero Waste Framework which will help guide the implementation of waste-reduction programs and policies, including increased residential composting.
“This incentive program is an important step in increasing the adoption of residential curb-side composting and helping us achieve our town-wide sustainability and climate action goals” said Alexandra Vecchio, Director of Parks & Open Space and one of the leaders of the development of the Zero Waste Framework.
To subscribe to Black Earth Compost, residents should visit www.blackearthcompost.com.To learn more about composting in Brookline, click here.
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