Malden Composting Program Available To Residents Soon

MALDEN, MA – Curbside food waste collection and a composting program option is coming to Malden, Mayor Gary Christenson and City Councilors Carey Macdonald and Amanda Linehan announced Thursday.

Malden residents will be able to sign up for the program beginning on April 15.

The program is a paid-subscription-based service through Black Earth Compost, the leading full-service compost company in New England, according to a news release.

The city will offer free recycling carts and 30 compostable cart liners – a $50 value – to the first 300 Malden residents who participate in the composting program. After paying for a subscription, residents will be given a voucher to pick up a free cart and free bags.

Malden residents who are already Black Earth Compost customers will soon see their subscription service discounted as more Malden customers are added to the service.

Residents who choose to participate in compost pickups are helping Malden in its efforts toward sustainability in Malden, officials said.

“This is yet another step in the right direction for the Green Malden initiative which has been guiding our city government in facing the countless challenges of climate change,” Mayor Christenson said in a news release. “Reducing what goes into our waste stream while creating compost is a win-win for our city.”

With a subscription, residents can compost things such as meat, bones, napkins, cheese, seafood shells and more.

Customers will also receive a voucher for a bag of finished compost, redeemable at participating Garden Centers, or Malden residents can donate their portion of finished compost to Backyard Growers, a Gloucester-based organization that brings backyard gardens to families in downtown neighborhoods across New England.