Cambridge Achieves Garbage Reduction Goal Early, Reduces Trash by 30 Percent

The City of Cambridge reduced its trash by 30 percent — or 7.2 pounds per week per household — from 2008 to 2019, according to a statement released by the Department of Public Works Friday.

In 2009, the city set a goal to reduce trash by 30 percent by the end of 2020 and 80 percent by 2050, compared to 2008 rates. On Friday, Cambridge officials announced the city achieved its trash reduction goal a year early.

In the statement, Cambridge Public Works Commissioner Owen O’Riordan praised the city’s efforts.

“By adding new programs that encourage diverting items from the waste stream and enhancing our existing recycling programs, we’ve been able to achieve this ambitious goal ahead of schedule,” O’Riordan said.

According to the statement, Cambridge households on average produced 15.6 pounds of garbage per week in 2019, compared to 22.8 pounds per week in 2008. The decrease marks a 32 percent reduction.

The statement said the city was able to reach its goal by improving curbside recycling programs and encouraging residents to adopt reduce and reuse practices.

Cambridge’s curbside compost program played a particularly important role in trash reduction, according to the DPW statement.

The program allows more than 32,000 households in Cambridge to dispose of food scraps, napkins, and paper towels in curbside carts that are collected by the DPW. The department then brings the carts to a facility in Charlestown, a neighborhood in Boston, where compostable solids are made into fertilizer.

In its statement, the DPW credited this program with reducing trash by seven percent, lowering net greenhouse gas emissions, and cutting the cost of disposal.

Cambridge’s curbside compost program is part of the city’s zero waste master plan, an initiative aimed at helping the city reduce waste and greenhouse gas emissions.

Under the plan, the city also encourages residents to utilize its recycling center and curbside mattress recycling program.

O’Riordan thanked residents for their dedication to trash reduction, with the goal of achieving 80 percent trash reduction by 2050.

“I want to thank Cambridge residents and our Recycling Advisory Committee for their hard work in helping the city reduce the amount of trash we send to the landfill,” O’Riordan said. “It may take an extra minute or two to separate your items, but it’s worth the extra effort.”

—Staff writer Maria G. Gonzalez can be reached at maria.gonzalez@thecrimson.com. Follow her on Twitter @mariaagrace1.