Project Oscar
Project Oscar is Boston’s 24-hour community compost pilot program.
Named after the Sesame Street character, Project Oscar compost bins give communities a place to drop off residential food scraps for composting. This is a pilot program operating at five locations. You can find more information below about where the compost bins are located, and what you can put into the bins.
Over the course of 2021, we're planning an expansion of community compost bins throughout Boston, and we want your input on new locations! Let us know where you would like to see a new compost bin by taking our updated survey.
Have questions about Project Oscar? Contact:
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.
Where would you like to see Project Oscar?
In this section, you can find a survey in a language of your choice and suggest specific locations on a map.
We look forward to hearing your thoughts!
Estaremos esperando lo que usted piensa!
Nu sta prontu pa obi bu opiniau!
Nou pa ka tann pou'n tande kisa ou panse!
我们希望能倾听您的意见和想法
List of locations
This pilot program currently has five community compost bins. They are located at these locations:
- East Boston, on the Lewis Mall across from Maverick Station MBTA stop. Remember to complete our lock combination form!
- North End, in the Nazzaro Center parking lot on North Bennet Street. Remember to complete our lock combination form!
- 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, across from the Wax Museum
How to compost with Project Oscar
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.
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