Trash & Recycling in Lawrence, MA (2026)
7 verified trash & recycling rules for Lawrence, Massachusetts, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Pickup Rules & Schedules
Before the city will collect it, refuse in Lawrence has to sit in separate, covered, watertight containers: one for combustible waste, one for noncombustible waste, and garbage drained of liquids. Owners, landlords and tenants of every dwelling, store and industrial building must keep those containers in an accessible yard or building spot, never above the ground floor.
Lawrence Refuse Container Requirements
Some RestrictionsLawrence Municipal Code §§ 8.08.010, 8.08.020, 8.08.060
8.08.010 - Separate containers for combustible and noncombustible refuse and waste to be provided by owner. Separate covered, watertight containers for combustible and noncombustible refuse and household waste shall be provided by owners, landlords or tenants of all dwelling places, mercantile and industrial establishments. 8.08.020 - Requirements as to keeping containers. The containers refer...
Bin Placement Rules
Lawrence bars storing garbage or refuse containers in any front yard and requires every dumpster, wherever located, to be fenced in or secured. Owners must also pull containers back onto their property after collection, or the city removes them from the public way at the owner's expense once 24 hours pass.
Lawrence Garbage Container Placement Rules
Some RestrictionsLawrence Municipal Code §§ 8.08.170, 8.08.180
8.08.170 - Refuse containers—Removal from public way. A.All owners of property within the city shall be responsible for returning refuse containers onto their property after the regular refuse collection by the city...B.If any refuse container is left longer than 24 hours from the time of collection on a public way, the receptacles shall be removed by the city at the owner's expense. 8.08.180 ...
Bulk Item Disposal
Bulky items like old furniture, mattresses and appliances have to be assembled next to the regular refuse containers, not scattered around the yard, under Lawrence's bulky-rubbish rule. Disposing of major appliances costs $25.00 per unit and cathode ray tube electronics cost $10.00 per unit, with a flat $20.00 fee for a full computer system.
Lawrence Bulky Rubbish and CRT Disposal Fees
Some RestrictionsLawrence Municipal Code §§ 8.08.050, 8.08.260
8.08.050 - Bulky rubbish. Bulky rubbish such as discarded furniture, floor coverings, mattresses, bedsprings, stoves, storage tanks and similar articles shall be assembled in an easily accessible and convenient place in the yard and adjacent to the storage area of the refuse containers. 8.08.260 - Trash disposal fee for certain cathode ray tube goods and bulky goods. A.The fee of $25.00 per un...
Illegal Dumping
Dumping wastepaper, house refuse, ashes or any other rubbish in Lawrence's streets, alleys, lanes or vacant lots is flatly prohibited unless the material goes to an actual public dump. The city's general penalty statute backs the ban with a fine of up to $300.00 per offense, with each day of an ongoing violation counted separately.
Lawrence Ban on Dumping Rubbish in Streets
Heavy RestrictionsLawrence Municipal Code §§ 8.08.130, 1.16.010
8.08.130 - Depositing rubbish, etc., in streets, vacant lots, etc. prohibited. No person shall deposit wastepaper, house refuse, ashes, store or house sweepings, or any other form of rubbish in the streets, alleys, lanes, areas or vacant lots, other than public dumps in the city. 1.16.010 - General penalty. A.Whoever violates a provision of any ordinance, whether of these ordinances or another...
Dumpster Rules
Commercial haulers can't empty a dumpster on private property in Lawrence between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. Violating the nighttime restriction carries a flat $50.00 penalty per incident, and inspectional services, police and fire personnel are all authorized to write the citation on the spot.
Lawrence Dumpster Emptying Hours Restriction
Some RestrictionsLawrence Municipal Code § 8.08.095
8.08.095 - Emptying of dumpsters—Restrictions. A.No emptying of dumpsters shall be made upon any private property between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.B.The penalty for each violation of this section shall be $50.00.C.This section may be enforced in the manner provided in MGL chapter 40, section 21D.D.All employees of the department of inspectional services, and all police and fire depa...
Collection Schedule
Lawrence's trash pickup is a service the city can withhold, not an entitlement that runs regardless of compliance. If a household or business breaks any provision of the Garbage Collection chapter, the Department of Public Works refuses collection through the next regular collection period, and a snow-blocked path to the refuse area can pause service outright.
Lawrence Mandatory Trash Collection Rules
Some RestrictionsLawrence Municipal Code §§ 8.08.080, 8.08.110
8.08.080 - Failure to comply with chapter to result in refusal of garbage collection. When collection of garbage, refuse or rubbish is refused because of failure to comply with any of the provisions of this chapter, the department of public works shall not furnish collection service again until the next regular collection period, except that the sanitation supervisor may, in circumstances which...
Recycling Rules
Lawrence makes it unlawful for anyone other than the property's owner, lessee, or occupant, the Sanitation Division, or an authorized charity paper drive to take discarded newspapers left at the curb for city pickup or recycling. Violators are punished under the code's general penalty section.
Lawrence Curbside Recycling Theft Ban
Light RestrictionsLawrence, MA Code of Ordinances § 9.08.020
Taking papers to be picked up for recycling. When refuse in the form of discarded newspapers is placed within the vicinity of the curb for pickup, collection or recycling by the city or by any person or corporation designated by the city in place thereof, any person other than the owner, lessee or occupant, or a representative of the Lawrence Sanitation Division, or a person acting in behalf of...