Cambridge Civic Journal Forum

New Contractor to Provide Recycling & Yard Waste Collection Services Beginning November 2

Oct 22, 2020 – The City of Cambridge today announced that, following an open and competitive bid process, Save That Stuff was selected as the City’s residential recycling and yard waste collection contractor, beginning Nov 2, 2020.

While residents’ curbside collection days will not change, residents should be aware that collections may occur earlier or later in the day than they are used to on their regularly scheduled pickup day. All residential waste collection occurs between the hours of 7:00am-4:00pm, and all carts should be placed at the curb by 7:00am on your collection day. Items accepted in recycling or yard waste, and where to place carts for collection, will not change.

“I’m incredibly proud of the work by the Public Works Department to continue to deliver high-quality services to our residents during these challenging times,” said Cambridge City Manager Louis A. DePasquale. “Thanks to the efforts of our residents and the data-driven management of the City’s Recycling Division, more than 8,000 tons of recycling and 2,000 tons of yard waste are diverted from landfills each year.”

To enhance the City’s services, the yard waste collection period will be extended until December 31, 2020.

Below are recommended best practices to help ensure safe and efficient removal of waste:

• Please place all carts at the curb after 6:00pm the night before collection or by 7:00am on your collection day. All residential waste collection occurs between 7:00am-4:00pm. If your building or household has a missed trash, recycle, compost or yard waste collection, please wait until 4:00pm to report it. All missed collections should be reported at www.CambridgeMA.Gov/311 or by using the Commonwealth Connect app for iPhone/Android.
• Please break down cardboard to help make it more manageable. If you have cardboard that won’t fit in the cart, nest it inside a larger box and place next to the recycle cart.
• Help us keep our streets and waterways clean by collecting all leaves, twigs, and branches on sidewalks, curbs, and other areas adjacent to your property. Leaves on streets get into storm drains. Once in the drainage system, phosphorous and nitrogen are released, polluting the Charles River or Alewife Brook.
• Please be considerate when approaching and passing all collection crews and vehicles. These essential workers are critical to the City’s efforts to protect the public’s health and safety.

For more on what’s accepted in recycling and yard waste as well as other important information, visit CambridgeMA.Gov/Recycle.

To sign up for weekly waste collection reminders, download the “Zero Waste Cambridge” app or visit CambridgeMA.Gov/Subscribe.

Hello Recycling & Composting Neighbors! – May 2017

Recycling Advisory Committee Appointments
Spring Cleaning/Move-Out Reminder
Did You Know?
See Your Recycling Get Sorted!
Rain Barrel Discount Ends May 27

Recycling Advisory Committee Appointments

The City Manager appointed new members to the Recycling Advisory Committee (RAC) for a 3-year term. The RAC meets monthly to support, advise and volunteer for DPW. Since 1991, the RAC has helped make Cambridge a regional leader in waste reduction and diversion. The RAC’s impressive wealth of knowledge and experience will help Cambridge reach its goal of reducing trash 30% by 2020.

Spring Cleaning/Move-Out Reminder

Whether you’re doing Spring cleaning or moving, please donate and recycle. Here are a few helpful ways to get rid of it right:

1. Bring fluorescent bulbs, batteries, metal, electronics, and other items to the DPW Recycling Center. Visit the site for more details on materials accepted.
2. Sell or give away furniture and other items on Freecycle, Craigslist, or Nextdoor.
3. Donate all textiles (any condition), household goods, books and other items at your local thrift store (i.e. Goodwill and Boomerangs).
4. Schedule pickup of items to donate with companies such as Big Brothers/Big Sisters or Epilepsy Foundation.

Did You Know?

Plastic film (i.e plastic bags, bubble wrap, trash bags, etc) cause costly shutdowns at our recycling facility. Plastic film should never be placed in curbside recycling.

Did you know:

• Workers at Casella, Cambridge’s processor of single-stream recycling, spend hours each day clearing equipment of plastic film.
• Cambridge’s Bring Your Own Bag (BYOB) Ordinance helps mitigate these issues, as the City has seen a 50-80% reduction in single-use bag consumption.
• Our friends in Chicago created a wonderful story and video showing the magnitude of the plastic film contamination problem.

Bottom Line: Don’t discard your plastic film into curbside recycling. This includes using plastic bags for your recyclables; throw all recyclables loose into your curbside bin/cart. You may bring plastic film to the DPW Recycling Center for special recycling.

See Your Recycling Get Sorted!

Take a tour of the Casella recycling facility in Charlestown on Thursday, June 15, 8:30am-11:30am. Requisites for attending:

• 16 years of age or older.
• Cambridge resident or employee.
• Capable of walking on narrow catwalks and stairs, close to heavy equipment.
• No health complications associated with a dusty/dirty facility.

We meet at DPW and carpool to Charlestown. Register to attend.

Can’t make it? Take the Virtual Tour to see how your recycling gets sorted.

Rain Barrel Discount Ends May 27

The Glocal Challenge is an annual competition at Cambridge Rindge & Latin School (CRLS) to tackle a global issue at the local level.

DPW wants you to capture rainwater and store it in a rain barrel for later use on your lawn or garden. By capturing rainwater you are reducing stormwater runoff, conserving water and recharging the groundwater. A 60-gallon rainwater collection system is available for $69 until May 27. Choose “Massachusetts” and “Cambridge” when ordering.

Note: Green Cambridge is offering to install rain barrels for Cambridge residents free of charge.

Order Your Rain Barrel

		Need anything?
Next Household Hazardous Waste Day: June 17, 9am-1pm