Project Oscar
Project Oscar is Boston’s 24-hour community compost pilot program.
Project Oscar compost bins give communities a place to drop off residential food scraps for composting. There are currently nine locations. You can find more information below about where the compost bins are located, and what you can put into the bins.
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Have questions? Contact:
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Lock combination
If you are looking to get the lock combination for our bins in East Boston or the North End, please fill out our form. The combination is available once you complete the form.
List of locations
East Boston, on the Lewis Mall across from Maverick Station MBTA stop. Remember to complete our lock combination form!
Brighton, at Boston Green Academy, 20 Warren Street, Brighton.
North End, in the Nazzaro Center parking lot on North Bennet Street. Remember to complete our lock combination form!
Roxbury, at the Egleston Square Library on Columbus Ave
Mission Hill, at the Tobin Community Center, 1481 Tremont Street
Roslindale, at the Municipal lot on Taft Hill Terrace
Brighton, at Faneuil Gardens Apartments in the west parking lot across from McKinney Playground
Jamaica Plain, in the parking lot of the Curtis Hall Community Center at 20 South Street
City Hall Plaza, at 1 City Hall Square, Boston.
Charlestown, on Austin Street, in the parking lot of the 99 Restaurant
South Boston, at 450 West Broadway Street
Dorchester, at the Hero Hope Garden, 424 Geneva Ave
South End, at the South End Branch Library, 685 Tremont Street
What you can compost with Project Oscar
What you can compost- Fruit and vegetable scraps, peelings, pits, and seeds
- Eggshells and nutshells
- Rice, pasta, cereal
- Bread, pastries, cookies
- Coffee grounds and coffee filters
- Teabags
- Cut or dry flowers
- Napkins, paper towels, paper plates
- Cardboard take-out containers
- Wine corks
- Wooden coffee stirrers
- Compostable plastics and bags
- Meat, fish, bones
- Dairy products
- Cheese
- Fats, grease, oils
- Pet waste
- Charcoal
- Yard waste (Find your leaf and yard waste collection schedule)
- Cigarette butts
- Dryer lint, dryer sheets
- Styrofoam
- Plastic bags
Project Oscar Locks
Project Oscar bins can be used to compost personal food scraps by anyone who lives in Boston. All bins are unlocked (except East Boston and the North End) and open to residents for use at any time.
- Review what can and can't be composted with Project Oscar (below).
- Test your Project Oscar-specific composting knowledge with our short survey.
- East Boston and North End participants: Locate the lock combination at the end of our survey.
- Start composting at one of our five locations.
Store food scraps in a closed lid container. It’s convenient to have your container close to where you produce food waste. Keep your container on your kitchen countertop, by your trash can, or in your freezer. You will bring your food scrap container to your local Boston community food waste drop-off, so make sure it is easy to carry.
There is a full list of what is accepted at each community food waste drop-off program website. Check the Project Oscar page or the farmers markets food waste drop-off website for details. Please be sure to review the lists of what is accepted before you start dropping off your food waste. It is important to only drop-off accepted items so our food waste can be used to make compost.
If you would like, you can line your food scrap container with BPI-Certified compostable bags. These are available online and in most hardware and grocery stores.
When you return home from dropping off your food scraps, wash your bin in the sink. Put a little bit of dish soap inside, and rinse a few times with warm water. Throw a bit of baking soda in the bottom of your bin to freshen it up!
Thank you for participating in our programs, and for doing your part to make Boston a zero waste city!
