Visit our Business District Info page here for more information on this initiative.
The City is stewarding the transition to a new waste and recycling system to help clean up sidewalks and streets and make the Squares more inviting to the community.
Starting this summer, City staff will work with all businesses in the Squares to stop using bags and begin using rolling carts and larger collection containers for trash, recycling, and composting. To do this most efficiently and cost-effectively, the City will help businesses to share containers for trash, recycling, and composting, including the possibility of locating some containers in public spaces such as public parking lots.
The containerized collection will eliminate trash bags on sidewalks and create a cleaner, more efficient system with access to recycling for all Square businesses. This is part of a larger effort by the City to ensure fairness and transparency so that all businesses are treated equally in the new waste and recycling system. One key component of fairness is shifting to a system where all Medford businesses bear the cost of their own collection services. The City understands this means adding expenses to businesses in the Square that historically have received collection services at no additional cost, which is why the City is committed to stewarding the transition to the most efficient and cost-effective collection solutions possible.
This transition will take place in:
The City will work directly with businesses in those Squares to review how this new system is intended to work and to develop specific solutions for each commercial property. Meetings will be held for each Square over the summer to help answer questions and provide guidance on the new system. The City has arranged for the help of the Recycling Works program of MassDEP to build on the best practices being followed around the state.
Sign up for specific district meetings here:
The City intends to help transition as many properties as possible to containerized collection before the end of 2024. This effort will require cooperation and coordination between businesses, the City, and Recycling Works. Businesses that shift to containers prior to January 1, 2025 will avoid a new requirement to use City-approved "overflow" bags for trash collection. They will also be in compliance with the new commercial recycling requirement ahead of when enforcement begins on May 1, 2025.
Thank you for your help to keep our community clean and vibrant.