Recycling Know No’s: Get to KNOW the Compost & Recycling Center

September 6, 2022

Submitted by Liz Antanavica,   Refuse & Recycling Administrator Town of Bedford, DPW

It’s often called The Dump, The Landfill, The Compost Site – Are you familiar with the Compost & Recycling Center at 108 Carlisle Rd? The site has changed quite a bit over the years. It is true that “the Dump” was a real place, a municipal landfill many years ago. The now capped landfill is home to Bedford’s leaf & yard waste site and recycling drop off center as well as the Seasonal Storage for the Department of Public Works

If you’ve never visited or maybe it’s been a while, you may be unfamiliar with what a great resource the site is for Bedford. Beginning October 1, 2022, the Department of Public Works will operate the site every Wednesday and every Saturday from 8AM-1PM. The current schedule for the site is posted on the DPW website at https://www.bedfordma.gov/trash-and-recycling/pages/compost-recycling-center-108-carlisle-rd Special Collection events are also held periodically, like the upcoming Fall Special Collection Events on October 1st and 15th, 2022.

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Resident Access stickers are available at no charge at the DPW Building, 314 Great Rd. Simply bring your vehicle registration with you when requesting a sticker.

Map for Public  (Click for full size

Leaves, Brush and Tree Materials

The “Compost” portion of the site accepts three main types of material: leaves, grass and non-woody material; brush; and larger branches or logs. The site does not accept food waste material. Each material has a separate drop off area on the site as they are handled differently. The leaves, grass and non-woody material is composted on site and made available to residents for free, just before the exit on the left of the site. The Department uses a chipper to shred the brush material at least once per year. It is important that these two types of materials are kept separate, so that they can be processed for composting. If you are unsure of which pile to drop your material off into, just ask! A Public Works staff person in bright yellow will be happy to help.

Cardboard, Glass and & Scrap Metal

The “Recycling” portion of the site continues to evolve to meet resident needs. Flattened cardboard can be deposited into three blue cardboard dumpsters for recycling. Please remember to remove all packing materials – no plastic bubble wrap, Styrofoam or packing paper. The green open-top dumpster is for glass recycling. Glass bottles and jars with the caps removed can be dropped directly into the dumpster. A recent popular addition to the site is scrap metal. Items that are primarily metal can be deposited into the gray, open-top collection bin. Items must fit into the container and not exceed 5ft in any dimension. We cannot accept large appliances, propane tanks, batteries or electronics for scrap metal recycling.

Batteries, Bulbs and Mercury Devices

The final category that can be dropped off at the Compost & Recycling Center is called “Universal Waste”. This is an industry term that includes household batteries, fluorescent bulbs, and devices that contain mercury. Learn more about what’s accepted in the Universal Waste shed by reading this recent article. https://thebedfordcitizen.org/2022/07/recycling-know-nos-mercury-disposing-of-hazardous-hand-me-downs/

Residents, including those in complexes with private trash services, are encouraged to use the site as a resource! We hope to see you there, soon.

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