Thank you for your interest in diverting food scraps from your household trash.  

Who Is FiDO? 

Our Food scrap Drop Off pilot program is named after FiDO, our vegetarian composting worm dragon. We can feed FiDO fruit, vegetable, and grain food scraps (plus some all-paper products), but not trash, meat, plastics or pet poop, as these will make FiDO sick. 

Feed FiDO Only This

• You can either dump your food scraps directly into FiDO, or use a paper bag or a certified biodegradable bag (see below).

• You can include:

• Fruit and vegetables, peelings, pits, seeds, scraps
  Eggshells and nutshells
  Rice, pasta, bread, pastries, cookies, cereal
  Coffee grounds, coffee filters, teabags
  Cut or dry flowers
  Cardboard take-out containers
  Paper napkins, towels, plates
  Paper bags and newspaper that are food-oily or food-smeared, also great for lining your sink-side pail
  Wooden coffee stirrers, toothpicks and skewers

• BioBag brand and other Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) Certified bags are the only plastic bags allowed.
  
  

Don't Feed FiDO This- it will make her sick

• Meat, fish, bones
  Dairy products
  Cheese
  Fats, grease, oils
  Pet waste
  Charcoal or wood coals
  Yard waste
  Cigarette butts
  Dryer lint, dryer sheets
  Styrofoam
  Regular plastic bags or any kind of plastic wrap, straw or utensil

Where in FiDO Located?

• 51 Grove Street- NEW location- to the right of the new big DPW building, back in the large parking lot.
• 422 Summer Street (actually on Ryder St, at the corner of the skating rink building, across from the basketball court) By car this is accessible only from Sumer Street, or park near 33 Ryder and walk across the bike path (driving is not allowed). Walkers and bikers can access it via the Minuteman Bikeway.

Careful Please

with the FiDO container lids. They are heavy, made of metal, have a latch mechanism, and don't all stay open by themselves, making this pilot program not a good choice for all residents. We expect to continue to improve the program over time. Please email cmilan@town.arlington.ma.us to suggest improvements.

Location maps here.

Lori and son Michael dropping off       
food scraps at DPW, 51 Grove St. 

     
FEED FiDO pest-proof, all-steel container 
at the Rink (view from bike path towards ball field)   

Read the User Agreement, then Register below to start Feeding FiDO.

We may need to stay in touch with you in case anything changes, such as broken equipment or weather problems.