Editor’s note: My opinions in this piece are my own and do not reflect the opinions of WestfordCAT, its employees, members, board members, sponsors, donors or its affiliates.
WESTFORD — The Select Board approved a memorandum of understanding with Bootstrap Compost late last year, providing a discount for Westford households. I signed up for the service — here’s what I found in my first month.
I want to be transparent — this piece deviates from the typical news format we provide, and instead focuses on my personal experiences as a resident. Have an experience with Bootstrap Compost you would like to share? I’d love to hear from you. Send me an email at bdomaingue@westfordcat.org.
Westford’s partnership
The Select Board unanimously voted to approve a memorandum of understanding with Bootstrap Compost during a Nov. 14, 2023 meeting. This MOU allows Westford residents to receive a substantial discount on compost pick-up.
Typical service ranges from $11.50 per week for a weekly pick-up and $16 every two weeks for a biweekly pick-up. Westford residents are eligible for $6 per pick-up for weekly service or $8 per pick-up for biweekly service.
Under the terms of the MOU, if 120 or more residents enroll in Westford, rates will drop by $1 per service tier. As of Jan. 19, Bootstrap Compost has 93 subscribers from Westford.
“We have smashed our expectations,” Penny Grey, Community Growth Director with Bootstrap Compost said in an email. “We’ve now more than doubled our previous participation.”
Service quality
Living in a two-person household in an apartment complex, I opted to sign up for the biweekly service on Dec. 5, 2023.
After signing up, customers are prompted to provide their address and a preferred pick-up and drop-off location for their new bucket. For me, it was my private patio at my apartment.
On the day I was slated to receive my bucket, it was nowhere to be found. A quick email to customer service provided me with a photo of where the driver left my bucket – a few buildings over from mine.
But everyone knows apartment complexes can be confusing. The local touch of the company made it incredibly easy to sort things out.
Within minutes of providing customer service with a quick video of my preferred pick-up spot, a representative for Bootstrap Compost contacted our local driver of where to grab our bucket in the future.
Since then, our pick-ups have gone on without a hitch.
At the time of writing, I have had two pick-ups, diverting 40 pounds of waste.
This waste has included food waste, cooking oil, coffee grounds, paper goods, compostable cutlery, and plants. Aside from plastic, glass, metal, rubber and pet waste, pretty much everything can go in your bucket.
Is there a cost savings for renters?
So — could it save you money? Well, it depends on your circumstances.
Living in an apartment complex, our trash service is separate from the town’s service.
My service does not save the town money on solid waste disposal. Rather, I spend substantially less on trash bags, which offsets some of my service cost.
Additionally, the service returns a portion of compost for use after each pick-up in the spring and summer — which I plan to use for my plot at the community garden.
As I purchase fewer trash bags and will receive biweekly compost for my garden, along with fewer trips to the dumpster, I find value in spending less than $200 per year on the service. I plan to continue to use the service throughout the term of the MOU.
Is there a cost savings for homeowners?
For homeowners using town services, it’s important to note that in FY25, the Town of Westford will spend $99.77 per ton of solid waste incinerated with Covanta, with that number slated to increase in FY26 and beyond.
According to estimates from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, food waste accounts for more than 25% of solid waste in Massachusetts.
For context, according to town data, household customers disposed of 7,280 tons of waste in FY22. Using DEP estimates, this means Westford residents disposed of at least 1,820 tons of food waste.
With these estimates, diverting this waste could save the town approximately $181,500 in disposal costs.
If you’re a resident looking to save money in your household — especially with a larger family — the savings on trash bags could also offset a portion of your service charge should you choose to enroll.
Additionally, the more residents who take advantage of the service, the more solid waste is diverted from disposal, potentially saving the entire tax base on disposal costs.
If the town opts to implement pay-as-you-throw in the future, this service could become more valuable in further reducing trash bag costs for each household.
It’s important to note that a decision on PAYT has not been made at the time of writing.
