For information about Nantucket's rules for solid waste disposal and recycling, as well as information about the landfill, please visit https://www.nantucket-ma.gov/242/Solid-Waste-Recycling. Questions about Nantucket's waste "stream" rules that are not answered by the guide below or DPW's website can be submitted using this online form.

Clarifications received by the Civic Association from DPW are posted after the guide below.

Solid waste removal company serving 'Sconset:  Santos Rubbish Removal, (508) 228-4395

Instructions for sorting and bagging your solid waste for pick-up by Santos to comply with the new rules are in the process of being updated. Presumably recyclable glass will still have to be bagged separately from tin/aluminum/plastic, shipping boxes will still have to be flattened, and recyclables (other than shipping boxes) and non-recyclables/non-compostable waste will still have to put in clear plastic bags. What's not clear is how Santos will pick-up your compostable waste; DPW prefers that it be delivered to the landfill loose or in paper bags (since plastic bags may not break down in the composter), but Santos hasn't indicated whether it will be able to accommodate that preference.  

Want to do your own composting?  

• You can compost food scraps to a viable soil additive in less than three hours with a countertop kitchen composter like this one.
• You can add a compost bin to your yard:  35 Cheap and Easy DIY Compost Bins That You Can Build This Weekend.
• You can buy one of these:  120-Gal Compost Bin

Need an indoor bin to deal with all the waste "streams"?  Here are some options available on Amazon.

• Stainless steel 3-in-1 can
• Sturdy plastic 3-in-1 bin

DPW Clarifications received by Civic Association

Recyclables:

• If picked up by a waste removal company, plastics/tin/aluminum can be bagged together; recyclable glass must be bagged separately; shipping boxes do not have to be bagged.

Non-recyclable and non-compostable waste also includes:  

• bagged pet waste (pet waste should go in compostables only if it is not bagged)
• broken glassware and cookware 
• all wax-lined cartons for cream, broth, soup, etc.
• K-cups

Compostable waste also includes:

• all organic material like flowers and plants