Community Compost Dropoff

1. Composting with LexSORT is easy and FREE to all Lexington residents who register.
2. Save valuable organic resources to be “recycled” as compost.
3. Composting completes nature’s food cycle by “recycling” organic matter into a nutrient-rich soil amendment which feeds the growth of new edible plants.
4. Organic matter, including food scraps, makes up approximately 35% of our trash. Divert food scraps from your trash, which would otherwise get incinerated. With the overall reduction in trash, another upside is the total savings of plastic trash bags being used and incinerated.
5. Help fight climate change: Each ton of water-heavy organic waste diverted from incineration is approximately equivalent to a one-ton reduction in greenhouse gases generated.
6. Adding finished compost to our fields and gardens decreases the need for chemical fertilizers, builds healthier and more productive soils, increases water retention, and can actually increase the level of carbon captured in the soil, again, helping to fight climate change.
7. Help achieve environmental justice: Reduce the pollution burden experienced by people who live near the incinerators and ash landfills where our Lexington trash is disposed.

1. REVIEW what can or can’t be composted with LexSORT (below).
2. REGISTER to participate. Fill out a registration form and receive a combination code to unlock the collection bin.
3. COLLECT food scraps at home as you prepare meals and clean up. TIPS:
   • Line your kitchen collection bin with a certified compostable bag (such as BioBag) or brown paper bag, also lining the bottom with a sheet of folded newspaper.
   • Or simply reuse any container/bucket that you already own to collect your food scraps without a liner bag. 
4. DROP OFF your collected food scraps into a LexSORT collection bin at your convenience, abiding by the rules of the User Agreement. Do not leave any waste outside of the collection bins.
5. RE-LOCK the collection bin.

Choose from two outdoor drop-off locations hosting secure collections bins available 24/7. When you register to participate, you will receive a combination code to unlock the bins.

• Carriage House @ Lexington Community Center (39 Marrett Rd.)
• Public Service Building (201 Bedford St.)

The Town is pleased to offer a roll of 5 BPI-certified compostable bags and a kitchen composting bin to each registered household for collecting your food scraps. The bags and bins will be available for pickup at the front desk at the Samuel Hadley Public Services building located at 201 Bedford St. Please show your LexSORT registration confirmation email to DPW staff to receive your starter kit.

1. I agree to deposit only acceptable items listed below into the LexSORT drop-off collection bins.
2. I understand that this program depends on my cooperation with this User Agreement, and that placing the wrong items in the food scrap drop-off collection bins is a risk to the program’s success.
3. This means NO PLASTIC BAGS (except BioBags or similarly “BPI-certified” compostable bags) and NO TRASH of any kind.
4. By participating in the program, I agree to do my part to steward a successful outcome for the program by cleaning up anything that I spill outside the collection bins in order to not invite pest problems.
5. I will also use common sense and not overfill the containers. If I notice that the collection bin is full, or if there are any other issues with the dropoff site (such as icy spots leading up to the bin), I will notify the Town at lexsort@lexingtonma.gov and take my food scraps home again.
6. I agree to close and re-lock the lid of the collection bin after dropping off my food scraps. 
7. I agree that I will not share the combination code for the lock with anyone.
8. I confirm that I am a resident of Lexington, MA.

Contact the Town at lexsort@lexingtonma.gov.