Trash & Recycling in Cambridge, MA (2026)
7 verified trash & recycling rules for Cambridge, Massachusetts, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Pickup Rules & Schedules
Cambridge Department of Public Works collects residential trash once per week on a zone-based schedule. Carts must be placed curbside by 6 AM on collection day and removed by the following morning.
Cambridge Trash Pickup Rules
Some RestrictionsCambridge DPW Curbside Collections - Weekly Collection Rules
Curbside Collections The City collects trash, recycling, food waste and yard waste from most residential buildings. This page has links to help you manage your waste properly, report a missed pickup, order replacement waste collection carts, and get tips on reducing trash. Weekly Collections (Note: One day behind schedule following a holiday.) Recycling / Food Waste / Trash / Yard Waste Coll...
Bin Placement Rules
Cambridge caps how long trash and recycling receptacles can sit at the curb: Section 8.24.090 bars setting them out before six p.m. the night before pickup and requires removal by six p.m. on collection day. Section 8.24.100 lets owners keep rubbish receptacles on private property only if screened from the street and sidewalk.
Cambridge Trash Bin Placement Rules
Some RestrictionsCambridge Municipal Code §§ 8.24.090, 8.24.100
The authorized refuse receptacles shall be placed on the sidewalk no earlier than six p.m. of the day immediately prior to the day of collection as designated by the Commissioner of Public Works for collection for the area where the premises are located and shall be removed from the sidewalk no later than six p.m. of the day of collection. The authorized refuse receptacles shall not be placed u...
Bulk Item Disposal
Cambridge residents may schedule up to two bulk items per week for curbside pickup by appointment through DPW. Mattresses and box springs require mandatory recycling under state law.
Cambridge Bulk Item Disposal
Some RestrictionsCambridge DPW Curbside Collections - Bulky Items Collection on Request
Curbside Collections The City collects trash, recycling, food waste and yard waste from most residential buildings. This page has links to help you manage your waste properly, report a missed pickup, order replacement waste collection carts, and get tips on reducing trash. Weekly Collections (Note: One day behind schedule following a holiday.) Recycling / Food Waste / Trash / Yard Waste Coll...
Recycling Requirements
Cambridge Code § 8.24.070 makes recycling mandatory, not optional, for every building in the city. Owners and occupants must separate designated recyclable materials from trash whether or not the City collects their solid waste, under a program the Department of Public Works Commissioner administers and enforces.
Cambridge Mandatory Recycling Requirement
Some RestrictionsCambridge Code § 8.24.070(B)-(C)
B.Establishment of Program. There is established a program for the mandatory separation of certain recyclable materials from refuse which shall apply to all buildings in Cambridge, and shall be carried out under the supervision of the Commissioner of the Cambridge Department of Public Works (DPW).C.Mandatory Separation of Recyclable Materials. It shall be mandatory for each owner or occupant in...
Illegal Dumping
Cambridge bars anyone from dumping carcasses, filth, rubbish, or earth on any common or public ground without the Commissioner of Public Works' permission, under Municipal Code § 12.20.090. Violators face a criminal fine of up to $50 or a $25 non-criminal disposition per day under § 12.20.140.
Cambridge Public Grounds Dumping Ban
Some RestrictionsCambridge Municipal Code § 12.20.090 (Digging in or dumping on grounds prohibited)
No person, except by permission of the Commissioner of Public Works and for some public use, shall dig or carry away any sward, gravel, sand, turf or earth from, nor carry or cause to be carried upon any common or other public grounds any carcass, ordure, filth, dirt, stones or any offensive matter whatever, or throw or place thereon any stones, sand, gravel, turf, earth, rubbish or other subst...
Yard Waste Collection
Cambridge requires leaves and yard waste to be bagged in paper leaf bags or set out in owner-supplied barrels marked with City-approved labels during the leaf and yard waste collection season. Municipal Code Section 8.24.070(D)(1)(c) governs the rule, and the Department of Public Works enforces it under Chapter 8.24's general penalty provisions.
Cambridge Yard Waste Collection Rules
Some RestrictionsCambridge Municipal Code § 8.24.070(D)(1)(c)
c.During the leaf and yard waste collection season, owners or occupants shall place their leaves and yard waste in paper leaf bags (as defined in subsection C of this section) or open barrels to be provided by the owner or occupant. Barrels must be marked with City-approved yard waste labels. However, if the owner or occupant employs a commercial landscaping company, the landscaping company is ...
Dumpster Rules
Any dumpster or roll-off in Cambridge, including construction-site containers, needs an annual license from the Commissioner of Inspectional Services under Chapter 8.25. The license costs one hundred dollars a year, temporary construction dumpsters are capped at renewable thirty-day terms up to twelve months, and placement on a public way needs a separate Traffic, Parking and Transportation permit.
Cambridge Dumpster License Requirements
Significant RestrictionsCambridge Municipal Code § 8.25.040(A)
A.License Required. No dumpster, including a temporary dumpster, shall be used, without first obtaining a license from the Commissioner of Inspectional Services, but not including a dumpster used for one-day special events permitted by the City. If a dumpster is to be located upon a public way, then a permit from the City Traffic, Parking and Transportation Department must also be obtained.