Farmers Market Food Waste Drop-off

We are partnering with local Boston farmers markets to bring community food waste drop-off locations to more Boston communities.

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Conveniently drop-off your food waste while shopping for fresh, locally grown produce. The best part is, farmers take your food scraps back to their farms to make compost which helps grow the fruits and vegetables that you love!

Help your local farmers! Help your community! Help the environment!

Have questions? Contact 311:
617-635-4500
zerowaste@boston.gov
1 CITY HALL SQUARE, ROOM 714

BOSTON, MA 02201

2025 Farmers Market Drop-Off Locations

drop-off locations

Brighton Farmers Market

June 11th - October 29th | Wednesdays 2-6:30pm | Brighton Common 30 Chestnut Hill Ave Brighton, MA 02135

Dudley Town Farmers Market

May 19th - October 30th | Thursdays 2 - 6 pm | 555 Dudley Street Boston, MA 02125

East Boston Farmers Market

July 2nd - October 22nd | Wednesdays 3-6:30pm | 200 Border Street, East Boston 02128

Accepted Items

Accepted

Fruit and Vegetable Scraps

This program has a different accepted items list than our other food waste programs. This is because the food waste is going to small compost piles rather than large industrial composting sites.

Fruit scraps
Vegetable Scraps
(Some select markets may accept more items, Talk to your market manager to find out)

Not Accepted

Everything Else

Meat, fish, and bones
Dairy
Fats, grease, and oils
Coffee and tea bags
Pet waste
Eggs and eggshells
Grains and bread

Stove, grill, and fireplace ash
Yard Waste
Dryer lint or sheets
Styrofoam
Plastics
Compostable Tableware (these items take too long to break down for small scale composting)

Best Practices

Find a kitchen food scrap container. Look for something with a closed lid that will be easy to carry. Some ideas:
- Kitchen countertop food scrap container
- Sealed tupperware
- Five-gallon paint bucket with lid
Keep it convenient or in your fridge or freezer.
Wash your bin. Try adding baking soda to the bottom to freshen it up.

Meet the Farmers

Learn more about the farmers who collect your food scraps and make nutrient rich compost for their farms!

brighton farmers market

Nubian Farms collects the food scraps at the Brighton Farmers Market and brings them back to their farms located in Boston and Lincoln. They grow a variety of fruits and vegetables including cucumbers, eggplant, zucchini, garlic, tomatoes, melons, squash, and more! The food scraps collected at the farmers market helps create a biodiverse nutrient rich soil for the upcoming season.

dudley town farmers market

The Food Project is a non-profit organization whose mission is to create a thoughtful and productive community of youth and adults from diverse backgrounds who work together to build a sustainable food system. Materials collected at the Dudley Town Common are brought back to their compost pile at West Cottage farm to turn into finished compost. This compost is spread on the urban farm where they grow mixed vegetables that are sold at the farmers market. The farm is located just a couple of miles from downtown- outside of Nubian Square.

east boston farmers market

Aoma Muma of Bombeta Farm, associated with Flats Mentor Farm collects the food scraps from the East Boston Farmers Market and brings them back to their farm in Lancaster, MA. They grow chipilin, bok choy, pumpkin leaves, celery, cilantro, mint, garlic, napa cabbage, onions, squash, kale, spinach, managu, collard. Bombeta Farm is owned and operated entirely by Muma and his wife. Muma is hardworking and resourceful and saves money where he can by saving seeds and generating his own compost. The weekly food scrap contribution helps Muma to add more nutrient rich material to his compost source and to reduce the waste that he has to clean up at the farmers market.