From the City of Cambridge, on March 16, 2018: Residents living in buildings with up to 12 units will get composting material deliveries beginning March 26, and curbside compost pickup will begin April 2.

See a history of composting in Cambridge by Recycling Advisory Committee member Martha Henry here.

Eligible residents will get everything they need to start composting – a curbside compost cart for the building and one small kitchen compost bin per household, each with a six-month supply of compostable bags and simple composting instructions.

“It’s just like separating out your recycling,” Public Works Commissioner Owen O’Riordan said. “With this new program, it’s easy to separate food scraps from your trash. Start with something simple, like coffees filters, egg shells, apple cores, banana peels and other food scraps, and put them in your kitchen bin instead of the trash.”

In 2009, the city set goals of reducing residential trash disposal 30 percent by 2020 and 80 percent by 2050. With that goal in mind, the city has increased its curbside composting program program from 5,200 households in North Cambridge to 25,000 households citywide, including 8,100 buildings.

“As one of the first municipalities in New England to offer a citywide curbside compost collection option free of charge, Cambridge is leading the way in waste reduction,” City Manager Louis A. Depasquale said.

Participation in the new Curbside Composting Program is voluntary, but the city hopes everyone will do their part to help Cambridge reach its waste reduction goals. Composting food scraps helps lessen climate change impact by reducing the amount of trash sent to landfills while processing food scraps into fertilizer and clean energy.

Outreach workers will go door-to-door to speak with eligible residents beginning March 27 and continuing through April and into May to make sure they got compost materials and answer questions about the program.

Information is at cambridgema.gov/compost. The project is funded in part by a grant from the state Department of Environmental Protection.