Town of Nahant – Compost Program

Island Gold

The Town of Nahant has launched a composting pilot program with Black Earth Compost to offer household curbside food waste collection service. The many goals of this program include environmental benefits and positive financial impacts to the cost of waste services in our community.

The compost collected at your doorstep will turn those vegetable peels, bones, shells and other scraps back into dirt that can grow more food instead of being tossed as trash.

The Town will reimburse eligible residents for the cost of a 1 year membership with Black Earth Compost for weekly curbside collection and the cost of any starter kit, plus provide a free countertop container which can be picked up at the Town Hall.

Eligible residents visit Black Earth Compost website and sign up for the 1 year Weekly Pick-up plan and purchase any of the offered Starter Kits. Then, fill out the Town of Nahant reimbursement form, attach a copy of 1.) your paid receipt and 2.) your welcome email from Black Earth Compost and submit it to the Town of Nahant by email to mlowe@nahant.org or drop it off to the DPW office in Town Hall attn: Mary Lowe.

Once there are more than 100 customers of Black Earth Compost in Nahant (about 75 customers as of August 2023), Black Earth Composting will reduce their prices by 30%

• Free one-year weekly pick-ups with Black Earth Compost for new customers
• Free starter kit and countertop container
• Limited-time program
• First come first served
• Reduce waste, reduce cost
• May be eligible for $20 abatement on your trash bill

INFORMATIONAL SESSION

October 24, 2021 at 7:00 PM via ZOOM – Visit the Community Calendar for link to join

The Town will provide an overview of how the pilot program works and will be available to answer questions.

Who is Eligible?

Any Nahant resident that is currently served by the town’s Waste Management curbside collection program and is a new customer of Black Earth Compost as of August 15, 2023.

Composting is a natural degradation process. The breakdown of organic matter occurs over time from exposure to oxygen, moisture, and naturally occurring bacteria. The result of this process is a humus material called compost.

Why Compost?

Save time and money in reduced soil and fertilizer purchases while decreasing local disposal costs. By composting, you won’t have smelly, tempting garbage on the curb for local pests to investigate. Black Earth’s curbside bins are lockable and pest-proof!

It’s good for the environment. Often, organic material decomposes without air in landfills producing methane, a gas that contributes to global climate change.

Enrich the soil. Compost reduces erosion by improving soil structure and adds essential nutrients to the soil, helping to grow trouble-free plants with less water, fertilizer or pesticides.

Learn and have fun!

• Watch a short video about composting.
• Having trouble locking your curbside organics bin? Watch a short video about latching your bin
• Get more information about composting and sign up for Black Earth Compost

NOTE: The Black Earth Compost collection schedule is unchanged on holiday weeks unless you receive an email stating otherwise.