It’s moving season in the Boston area, and the phenomenon known as “Allston Christmas” has now spread to other neighborhoods around the city.
Dennis Roache, superintendent of Boston’s Waste Reduction Department in the Public Works Department, said that it’s been a challenge for the city of Boston to continue collecting trash during this time as more people leave unwanted items on the curb to get rid of them.
“It used to be known as Allston Christmas back in the day, but we are seeing massive spikes in other neighborhoods, particularly downtown, like Fenway, South End, South Boston,” Roache said. ”East Boston, like many neighborhoods across the city, is now experiencing these move-out periods at greater numbers than ever before.”
The end of summertime is when the city sees its biggest moving period of the year. Public works officials are urging residents to brush up on how to dispose of unwanted items, including furniture, appliances and hazardous materials.
Boston, Cambridge and Somerville all have similar rules and regulations, and all adhere to the state requirement of recycling mattresses and curbside pick-up, which generally come with a fee and must be scheduled ahead of time.
Move-outs grow in Boston
In Boston, city officials say the move-in/move-out period that occurs around Sept. 1 includes students and non-student residents alike.
Boston’s trash and recycling program has restrictions on waste from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (Mass DEP), including mattresses, refrigerators and freezers. Plus, items like air conditioners, dehumidifiers, televisions and computer monitors all need to be scheduled for removal.
His message to people moving is to plan ahead, use proper waste disposal storage containers and to be sure not to block the sidewalks in their neighborhoods.
“Put it out in your trash over several weeks and just don’t dump everything on the curb on your last day,” he said. “We do cite for violations when there’s excessive set outs.”
And the violations are steep, starting at $25 for early set out, broken containers or improper storage and can go up to $100 to even $10,000 fines for illegal dumping.
Boston fully supports reuse and recycle options, including footwear, clothing, linens, arts and collectibles.
Somerville pushes for sanitary options
Somerville faces similar challenges.
“This is a time when we are working extra hard,” said Eric Weisman, Commissioner of the Public Works Department for Somerville.
He said that the city’s trash and recycle program allows for most furniture to be left behind on the curb with regular trash pickup, but residents must abide by standard trash rules and shouldn’t block the sidewalk.
“They have to make sure that bags of trash are in the trash barrels,” he said. “We want to prevent rodent activity, so we need to be as sanitary as possible.”
If Somerville residents are looking to dispose of appliances, like refrigerators or air conditioners, they need to secure a “white goods sticker” for $25 and they’ll be collected the following day.
While in the past, the widely popular Allston Christmas had college students sifting through discarded curbside treasures, Somerville, like most cities, is now encouraging residents to use a curbside textile recycling program.
“Small pieces of furniture, we would encourage people, if they can donate, to go that route because these materials still end up in a landfill.” Weisman explained.
Cambridge suggests online removal alternatives
Meanwhile, Cambridge, which is home to many Harvard students, has some of its own policies.
John Fitzgerald, superintendent of environmental services at Cambridge Public Works Department, said that each year, tens of thousands of residents move into and out of Cambridge, creating a 20% turnover rate.
Fitzgerald said the volume of waste goes up, but waste collection tends to be for bulkier items, so for residents who are looking to recycle, a little bit of planning goes a long way.
“There’s a number of homeless assistance organizations and there’s a number of online options, like nextdoor.com, buynothingcambridge.com, Marketplace, etc.,” he said.
Cambridge residents and students can also use the city’s “Get Rid of it” website and look for curbside collections for a variety of waste disposal.
Other trash disposal options
Many of the trash and recycling guidelines apply to residents, but for buildings with seven or more units, the residents need to work with the building manager on the disposal of bulk items.
If residents can afford it and have several items they want to get rid of quickly themselves, it’s recommended to use private collection services.
Junk Dispatch,is a company that works to keep trash off the streets, recycle and find new homes for things.
“We’re here trying to take care of the community and try to be ‘first responders’ for this kind of work,” said Joseph Lusso, owner of Junk Dispatch of Saugus that operates
on the North Shore, Essex County, Middlesex County and in Greater Boston.
“Whether it’s hazardous things or just a couple or a one-item pickup, we’ll be the first responder to it,” he said.
The bottom line for residents is to check the city’s websites to learn what they can and cannot dispose of curbside.
Roache, of Boston’s waste reduction DPW unit, said the move-in/move-out period are chaotic days for workers and residents, so cooperation goes a long way.
“People don’t take it for granted that for a couple of weeks, especially during, you know, the Labor Day weekend, no pun intended, we’re out there working and we don’t take vacations during this time,” he said. “We’re out there with full force keeping these streets clean. We understand it. We get the job done and any cooperation we get from the residents is incredibly helpful.”
