You know the Boston streets hate to see September 1 coming. That's when an estimated 70-percent of leases turn over, prompting a mass exodus of students in Allston-Brighton. And while the moving trucks blocking traffic are bad enough, the days leading up to moving day also bring with them a flood of furniture left curbside, an annual event affectionately known as Allston Christmas. It’s chaotic. It’s cluttered. For trash divers, it’s kind of magical. But this year, the city is offering up a level-headed, zero-waste solution.
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Instead of watching as the streets turn into unattended junkyards, Boston will launch a pilot program that picks up and donates usable furniture for free. Powered by the Mayor's Office of New Urban Mechanics (MONUM) and furniture-redistribution nonprofit Household Goods, the program will drive around scooping things up curbside and giving them a second chance at life.
A report from MONUM and Harvard Kennedy School graduate students found that, between 2015 and 2023, annual trash collection increased by 10-percent, while August and September alone saw a nearly 30-percent increase.
Brighton residents in designated pickup zones will be able to schedule furniture removal on Monday, August 25, between 8am and 3pm. But you only have until Friday, August 22 to submit your request. The items accepted are the kind you’d expect: couches, dressers, kitchen tables (sorry, desks), bookcases under 6.5 feet tall, and sundry living-room staples. The only rule: “good condition” is non-negotiable. Don't try to palm off your stained or broken trash.
To find out if you're in the designated zone, click here. But the program isn't just for those moving. If you're Brighton-based and have a couch you’re over or a dresser that’s just gathering dust, consider this your city-sanctioned out. Fill out that pick-up form, clear some space in your place and let your furniture do some good.
And Household Goods isn't just for Allston Christmas, either. The non-profit picks up furniture year-round with a mainly volunteer staff. So if you're in Acton, Boxborough, Carlisle, Concord, Littleton, Maynard, Stow, Sudbury and Westford, you have many more chances to Marie Kondo your house or garage. Just know that pickups are typically scheduled at least a month in advance.