Project Oscar is the City of 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. Our bins are emptied by the Public Works team, and managed by Greenovate Boston. This partnership project is a pilot program, so we appreciate feedback about how it’s going. This pilot program currently has six community compost bins. They are located in these locations:

East Boston, on the Lewis Mall across from Maverick Station MBTA stop
North End, in the Nazzaro Center parking lot on North Bennet Street
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, on Fisher Park near the Bill Russell Statue and food truck vending area
Grove Hall Plaza, off of Blue Hill Avenue next to Flames restaurant

Project Oscar bins can be used to compost personal food scraps by anyone who works or lives in Boston. All bins are unlocked and open to the public for use at any time.

These items CAN be composted

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
Biodegradable plastics and bags

Items we don’t take in our bins

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

Have questions about Project Oscar? Please email us at oscar@boston.gov, or call us 617-635-3850.