Around Town

Find Out How to Compost Your Pumpkins

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The City of Watertown sent out the following announcement:

Nearly 1.3 billion pounds of pumpkins end up in landfills each year, so we need your help diverting them. 

Pumpkins should go in compost or in yard waste collection. For curbside compost bins: please place pumpkin on top of your bin. For yard waste: put pumpkin in yard waste bin or lawn bag. Please no candles or paint. New community pumpkin drop-off bins will be available outside the Department of Public Works (DPW) office building, 124 Orchard St., Monday-Friday 7 a.m.-3:30 p.m. from Oct.

Around Town

OP-ED: Reasons for Watertown Residents to Try Composting

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The following piece was written by Watertown Recycling and Sustainability Coordinator Anya Pforzheimer:

Why might I want to try composting? A few reasons to give the free Watertown compost pickup program a try:

• I keep running out of space in my trash every week. o This is a great reason to give it a try. o Recent research has shown that nearly 1/3 of the materials that we are throwing away in household trash could be composted. o Removing the food from your trash leaves space for other materials that we cannot recycle or compost.

Government

City Negotiating Trash & Recycling Contract in Topsy Turvy Solid Waste Market

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Photo by Watertown DPWCurbside composting toters, like the one on the left, have been added to the Watertown trash and recycling program. The economics of trash and recycling has been a bit of a rollercoaster ride in recent years, which means the City of Watertown’s new waste disposal contract will not be as immune to price changes, and will have to pay contractors to take the recycling, rather than being paid for the products. The City Council voted to allow City Manager George Proakis to negotiate a five year contract with Republic Services, which deals with trash and recycling for most homes in Watertown and runs the Recycling Center. Approval from the Council is needed for any contract longer than three years. The City is not in as favorable a position in negotiating the solid waste contract compared to prior years, Proakis said.

Around Town

Residents Can Sign Up for Curbside Composting Pickup

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Watertown residents can now sign up to be part of the curbside composting program, run by Black Earth Compost. The company provided the following information:

Black Earth Compost (BEC) is excited to announce a new partnership with the City of Watertown! Watertown’s program provides free weekly curbside collection of food scraps and other organic materials. Please view the complete compostable guide for more details on everything that can be collected in your compost bin. As part of the program, you will receive a starter kit and online account to manage your service.

Around Town

Watertown Recycling Event a “Huge Success,” People Lined the Street to Participate

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The Public Works Recycling Event on March 25 drew so many people that cars were backed up down Waltham Street with residents waiting to dispose of a variety of items, and even grab some free soil. City Council President Mark Sideris said he was impressed by how much interest the event drew. “What a successful recycling event we had. You couldn’t get down Waltham Street — they were waiting in line!” Siders said during a recent Council meeting.

Around Town

Free Curbside Compost Bins Available for Watertown Residents

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Watertown DPWCurbside composting toters, like the one on the left, will be part of the Watertown trash and recycling program starting in August. The Watertown Department of Public Works announced that the City received compost bins which can be used with Watertown’s free curbside compost program. The City of Watertown sent out the following information:

“1000 new FREE residential compost bins have been delivered, paid for by a grant from MassDEP! Enrollment in Watertown’s FREE curbside compost program is open for an April 2023 start. Sign up today and your new bin and liners will be delivered the first week of April. www.blackearthcompost.com/watertown,” the announcement reads.

Government

City Looking Keep Watertown’s Recyclables “Valuable,” Composting Program Successful So Far

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Watertown DPWCurbside composting toters, like the one on the left, were recently added to the Watertown trash and recycling program. Watertown’s trash and recycling contract is up for renewal, and City officials are trying to do more to reduce the amount of trash being thrown out and increase the amount of recycling as rates increase. Last week, the City Council approved the recommendations of the Department of Public Works as it works on the new contract. In the previous contract, Watertown was able to guarantee a rate for recycling, which would not depend on the market for recyclables. In recent years there have been large fluctuations in the prices, said Public Works Superintendent Greg St.