To make it easier to compost kitchen scraps and yard waste, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) makes home composting bins available to cities and towns each year through its recycling equipment grant program. The bins, which retail for between $60 and $100, are available to the residents of communities that receive grants for a subsidized price of about $20 each. To obtain a compost bin, see the list of MassDEP compost bin grant recipients and call the contact person listed for your community or a neighboring one.

Bins come in two styles

Two styles of compost bins are available through MassDEP's grant program: Earth Machine and New Age Composter (formerly Brave New Composter). Both types are easy to assemble, rodent-resistent, and allow for efficient, aerobic composting. They are made from a minimum of 50 percent post-consumer recycled plastic collected or processed in Massachusetts. An average household can compost between 500 and 1,000 pounds of organic material each year in the bins, producing a rich soil supplement out of material that would otherwise be disposed.

Brief history of the home composting program

MassDEP's compost bin grant program began with a pilot program in western Massachusetts in fiscal year 1993, during which 5,300 bins were distributed. A follow-up survey revealed that 92 pecent of the bins were in use one year later, and that people are putting out an average of 27 percent less garbage for disposal since they started composting.

Between 1994 and 2000, about 230 communities participated in the statewide compost bin grant program, distributing nearly 70,000 bins. In many of these communities, bins are still available. Under the state's grant program, municipalities use revenue from bin sales to purchase additional bins. After the granted bins have been distributed, communities may continue to order bins under MassDEP's statewide contract for between $25 and $43, depending on bin type.

For further information on home composting or the bin grant program, contact Ann McGovern: 617-292-5834 or ann.mcgovern@state.ma.us.

List of MassDEP Compost Bin Grant Recipients, 1994-2007

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