OPINION: How bi-weekly trash pickup can work for us

by Prabitha Natarajan

Now that we got the national attention and our moment of fame on Late Night with Seth Meyers, let us consider some facts and discuss how the reduced frequency of trash pickup might work for us. In this article, I am going to discuss the bi-weekly trash pickup piece of it and not so much the “pay as you throw”. But before I do that, cheers to not having to say that I am from Boston or Cambridge when someone asks me at a conference. I can actually say that I am from Medford! 

Why change the trash pickup frequency?

With rising costs, the city cannot sustain trash pickup at this rate forever without incurring funding cuts to other programs.  

The city has plans to change the trash pickup schedule in 2027. This would not have been possible without the success of the city-wide composting program. Medford is one of the few cities that offer curbside composting for households. The program started in July, 2024. This is not an easy accomplishment, as most of our neighboring communities do not have a similar program in place. Kudos to our city! 

As of this month, more than 8,000 households are already taking advantage of this program,  which is almost 40% of the households in Medford. Weekly composting allows for “dry” trash to sit in the bin for two weeks or even longer without sanitary concerns, which I will get into a bit later.

Composting and rats

A legitimate concern residents have with composting is the issue of rats. Unlike backyard composting, the city-wide program provides every household with a collection bin similar (yet smaller) to the regular trash bin, and it is rodent proof. It seals shut, almost airtight, and if there are no cracks or damages to the bin, throwing food waste into the compost bin does not increase rodent activity. If anything, it reduces the likelihood of rats (and other critters) getting into your regular trash bin. Make sure to shut the bin tight. 

As of today, there is a $22.50 dollar fee to replace our compost bins. However, I would be curious if the mayor/city would waive the fee for genuine replacements especially in light of the $200,000 MassDEP grant for the PAYT program. Something to bring up at the waste collection public meeting on the 15th. 

Another cool information I recently learned is that we can even compost oil. Just separate it in a plastic container and contact Garbage to Garden for advice before your pickup day. While we are on the topic, I want to give a huge shoutout to the folks at Garbage to Garden, the company that services Medford’s curbside composting. These folks never miss their schedule and most of all I have never once seen a compost bin being thrown around. If you are curious check out their website or the city’s program. 

Bi-weekly pick up and sanitation

With our food and other approved wet waste gone from our houses every week through curbside composting, it is truly possible to let our dry trash sit out for two weeks. 

But what about pet poop and diapers? 

While those are technically not dry waste, we do not compost them with food waste and they  do end up in regular trash. Picking up dog poop in bags makes it dry waste. If you have concerns of the bag opening up in the trash bin, they advise to keep them in a separate pail. These pails, when using the right one, are rodent proof much like the diaper collection pails. 

Personally, in my household we roll out the trash bin for pickup about twice a month or less and throw the poop bags (from three large dogs) directly into the trash bin. It does not smell great but again, as long as the smell is contained within the bin it is not bothersome. After all it is a trash bin, people. 

There were concerns in Facebook posts about the issues with the city not replacing broken trash bins. I hope the new grant helps the city address these issues so residents have working trash cans that are truly rodent proof. Please do attend the meeting and share your concerns for an open discussion. 

If you have a broken bin, you can use this page from Waste Management’s website and add in your details. It would be great if the city had a direct way to deal with replacements. 

Money saved, and the health of our neighbors

Trash is expensive and I am not talking about the millions that the city spends on getting rid of our trash. If you think about it, it costs to produce trash and it costs to get rid of it. The big companies that profit off of our purchases have made it quite cheap to buy and throw things but let’s remember it is not free. Perhaps it's time we sincerely revisited our buying habits. It is a change and a big one, but not impossible. I used to fill up my trash bin every week but over the years with composting and not buying as many unnecessary items, I am saving a lot more money. I mostly buy used items on marketplace as opposed to Amazon and hence they do not come with wrappers and boxes. Also let’s not forget recycling, which deserves an article on its own. We will continue to have recycling. All to say that it is doable and hope you can have an open mind about it.

A great resource for Medford residents is the thriving Everything is Free Medford community on Facebook, where residents offer up items they do not need anymore, including TVs, couches, kids’ items and many more. Truly gives me a sense of living in a community that shares its surplus. Before trashing something, if it is in a good condition, you can see if a neighbor of yours can have use for it. 

Finally, reducing trash directly improves public health by cutting air/water pollution from landfills/incinerators. There is a community out there that lives next to these incinerator facilities living in and breathing the air tainted by the processing of the trash we generate. Please check out this article that goes into more detail on health effects on people living close to incinerator facilities. 

The “pay as you throw” program, also known as PAYT, where you can pay for an additional trash bin or stick to weekly trash pickup, is also going to be discussed at the meeting on December 15. Check out the city’s website for additional information. 

In the years of living here, I feel like nothing has united our community as much as this trash conversation has. I hope we can all find a middle ground and march on forward! 

Prabitha Natarajan is a Medford resident who volunteers her time for the Medford Energy and Environment Committee.