Trash & Recycling in Massachusetts (2026)

Boston Code § 23-1 bars anyone but city employees or a city contractor from transporting refuse through the streets…

Brockton requires all waste streams (trash, recycling, yard waste, bulky items, holiday trees) to be curbside, off the…

Cambridge Department of Public Works collects residential trash once per week on a zone-based schedule. Carts must be…

In the City of Chicopee, Massachusetts, the Department of Public Works will not pick up refuse that fails Chicopee Code…

In the City of Everett, Massachusetts, every residence on city or contractor collection needs enough container capacity…

In the City of Haverhill, the Board of Health holds legal authority over household trash pickup under City Code §…

Before the city will collect it, refuse in Lawrence has to sit in separate, covered, watertight containers: one for…

Medford's Department of Public Works sets exact placement rules for household trash under City Code § 70-4. Receptacles…

New buildings with five or more residential units inside Newton's Village Center Overlay District must arrange their…

Revere requires trash to be stored in a rodent-proof, watertight receptacle near the rear or side yard until curbside…

Somerville requires refuse to be set out no earlier than 4:00 p.m. the day before collection and no later than 7:00…

Southborough bars trash collection and dumpster collection in any area designated as, or directly abutting, a…

Springfield requires rubbish to be drained of liquids and placed in an approved cart at the curb on the tree belt, not…

Every household on Taunton's curbside program must bag its trash in City-approved bags of 30 to 33 gallons, sold for $2…

Worcester's Department of Public Works and Parks will only take solid waste in an approved bag under its printed weight…

Fall River, Massachusetts caps household trash and ash receptacles at roughly the size of an ordinary 35-gallon refuse…

Boston requires owners of residential buildings with more than six units to install recycling carts within 350 feet of…

Cambridge caps how long trash and recycling receptacles can sit at the curb: Section 8.24.090 bars setting them out…

Chelsea residents may not put solid waste containers at the curb before 7:00 p.m. the night before collection, must…

In the City of Chicopee, Massachusetts, garbage, rubbish and recycling containers can go to the curb no earlier than 12…

In the City of Everett, Massachusetts, trash and recycling containers go at the outer edge of the sidewalk no later…

Fall River, Massachusetts sets exact curbside hours for trash and recycling carts: out no earlier than 4:00 p.m. the…

In the City of Haverhill, City Code § 173-5 sets the rules for setting out trash and recycling containers: receptacles…

Lawrence bars storing garbage or refuse containers in any front yard and requires every dumpster, wherever located, to…

In the City of Medford, Massachusetts, Section 70-4 of the Revised Ordinances requires ash and rubbish receptacles to…

New Bedford requires trash and recycling containers to sit at the rear or side of the building between collection days…

Where you store and screen trash carts is set by each town's board of health, not the county, under MGL c.111 §31…

Quincy, Massachusetts (Norfolk County) bars residents from setting rubbish for collection within 10 feet of an…

Revere requires trash receptacles to sit near the rear or side yard, out of public view, and secured against animals…

Somerville residents must hold refuse at the curb until 4:00 p.m. the day before pickup and have it out by 7:00 a.m. on…

Springfield, Massachusetts rubbish containers may go to the tree belt no earlier than sunset the night before pickup…

Trash bags and recycling bins can't hit the curb before 6:00 a.m. or after 7:30 a.m. on collection day under Chapter…

Worcester's Department of Public Works and Parks will not pick up bulk items with regular trash. Chapter Four, Section…

Brockton allows one bulky item per household per week at the curb through city collection, covering large furniture…

Cambridge residents may schedule up to two bulk items per week for curbside pickup by appointment through DPW…

Chelsea's solid waste code classifies any item large enough to hold an eight-inch sphere as 'bulk,' a nonacceptable…

In the City of Chicopee, Massachusetts, bulky waste such as furniture, mattresses, large electronics, tires, carpeting…

In the City of Everett, Massachusetts, items too large for a container, such as appliances, furniture and mattresses…

Furniture, appliances and other items too large for a 32-gallon barrel count as bulky items in Fall River, collected…

Bulky items like old furniture, mattresses and appliances have to be assembled next to the regular refuse containers…

Leominster's Code of Ordinances treats building demolition debris over eight feet long, car and truck bodies, and large…

New Bedford residents may set bulky items such as furniture, mattresses, white goods and CRTs curbside only on the…

Norfolk County does not offer bulk pickup. Each municipality runs its own bulk program: some free, others require…

Mattresses, box springs, and textiles cannot go in the trash anywhere in Plymouth County under the MassDEP waste ban at…

Revere requires an e-permit before curbside pickup of bulky items or white goods, or a fee-based drop-off at the city…

Somerville won't pick up bulk items as ordinary rubbish. Anything over 75 pounds, too large for one person to handle…

Springfield, Massachusetts residents must call 311 for a bulk-item pickup appointment and buy a sticker per item, with…

Springfield requires every occupant citywide, homes, businesses, nonprofits, and city buildings alike, to separate…

In the City of Chicopee, Massachusetts, recycling is mandatory. Section 223-1 establishes a program of mandatory…

Revere makes curbside recycling mandatory for all properties, requires a city-issued brown bin, and refuses to collect…

Boston's Code of Ordinances § 7-13.4 requires residents at premises the Commissioner designates to separate specified…

Brockton requires recyclables to go out in a city-approved, properly identified recycling container, collected every…

Cambridge Code § 8.24.070 makes recycling mandatory, not optional, for every building in the city. Owners and occupants…

Fall River requires residents to sort recyclables like bottles, cans, cardboard and paper into blue or pink carts…

Once Medford signs a contractor or begins direct city collection, City Code § 70-103 makes separating aluminum, tin…

New Bedford requires every customer to separate recyclables from solid waste before collection under Code of Ordinances…

Norfolk County does not administer recycling. MA has strong state waste bans (310 CMR 19.017) enforced statewide…

Recyclables are banned from the trash across Plymouth County by the MassDEP waste ban at 310 CMR 19.017. Glass, metal…

Somerville residents must set recyclables out using the same timing as trash, in authorized recycling containers only…

Taunton's Commissioner of Public Works, with the Municipal Council Committee on Solid Waste's approval, adopts the…

The commissioner of public works and parks must collect recycling bins at least once every two weeks under Chapter…

In the City of Haverhill, the Director of Natural Resources oversees and supervises the citywide recycling program…

Revere allows overflow trash at curbside only on the first collection after six named holidays, and lets residents drop…

Brockton collects undecorated, nonliving holiday trees at the curb for two weeks following December 25, either whole or…

In the City of Chicopee, Massachusetts, a holiday pushes trash collection to the next day and moves every later zone…

Springfield, Massachusetts allows licensed waste haulers to collect residential trash, recycling, and yard waste…

Boston Code § 23-22 sets a volume-and-location fine schedule for illegal dumping under M.G.L. Chapter 270, Section 16…

Brockton bans dumping, depositing or abandoning garbage, refuse and trash on any public or private property unless the…

In the City of Haverhill, it is illegal to place or deposit paper, house dirt, ashes, filth or any refuse or rubbish on…

Dumping wastepaper, house refuse, ashes or any other rubbish in Lawrence's streets, alleys, lanes or vacant lots is…

Medford bans dumping in any public or private dump of animal or vegetable material that could breed rodents, flies or…

Quincy bans dumping trash, fill, or debris at any site not approved as a dumping ground, and reserves its public dump…

Taunton bans dumping or tipping garbage, trash or refuse anywhere other than the City dump upon payment of the required…

It is unlawful in Chelsea to throw, discard or dump litter on any public or private property outside of a lawfully…

Worcester bans depositing filth, rubbish or refuse on any public or private property without a receptacle, permit or…

Cambridge bars anyone from dumping carcasses, filth, rubbish, or earth on any common or public ground without the…

In the City of Chicopee, Massachusetts, dumping rubbish or trash on City property is forbidden, and Chicopee Code §…

In the City of Everett, Massachusetts, Section 16-22 makes it unlawful to throw, discard, place or deposit litter in…

Fall River bans dumping litter on any open or vacant private lot within city limits, whether you own it or not, with a…

In the City of Framingham, dumping litter, debris or refuse on public or private property without permission, or…

Leominster fines up to $300 per offense for scattering or depositing trash, garbage, or refuse on any public way, park…

New Bedford's litter-control ordinance bans dumping litter, garbage, or debris on streets, sidewalks, vacant lots, and…

Newton bans depositing litter, yard waste, or discarded material on any street, sidewalk, park, playground, or other…

Revere bans throwing or placing dirt, filth, garbage, rubbish, shavings, refuse or waste of any kind into any street…

Somerville bans dumping ashes, building material, yard debris, food waste or any other rubbish, filth or offensive…

Springfield, Massachusetts bans dumping litter, garbage, or rubbish on any street, sidewalk, public place, vacant lot…

In Southborough, § 152-8 bars anyone from throwing or placing, or causing to be thrown or placed, nails, spikes…

Leaves and yard waste can't go out with the trash in Worcester: Chapter Four, Section 6(c) bars mixing them into solid…

Brockton picks up yard waste weekly from May 1 through June 30 and November 1 through December 15, then bi-weekly from…

Cambridge requires leaves and yard waste to be bagged in paper leaf bags or set out in owner-supplied barrels marked…

In the City of Chicopee, Massachusetts, yard waste must be set at the curb separate from garbage, rubbish and…

In the City of Everett, Massachusetts, Section 16-51 classes garden and lawn waste, meaning grass, leaves, brush, tree…

Fall River, Massachusetts requires residents to separate leaves, grass, and yard waste from trash and recycling, and…

The City of Haverhill runs a Municipal Composting Program under Chapter 131 that takes brush, grass and leaves from…

Medford requires leaves to be kept separate from other household refuse under City Code § 70-102, and during the city's…

New Bedford picks up yard waste and brush curbside only during the seasons the city sets, and only in approved…

Revere collects yard waste curbside twice a month from April through November, but only if it is separated from trash…

Yard waste like tree trimmings, hedge clippings and grass must be cut to no more than three feet, tied in secure…

Springfield runs a mandatory curbside yard-waste program: leaves, grass, and small branches must go in paper leaf bags…

Any dumpster on private property in Brockton needs a Board of Health permit under Sec. 8-11, must sit at least ten feet…

Any dumpster or roll-off in Cambridge, including construction-site containers, needs an annual license from the…

Chelsea licenses dumpsters through the department of municipal inspections and the fire department, requiring screening…

In the City of Everett, Massachusetts, every dumpster needs a Board of Health permit and a plot plan, sits where the…

Boston requires an annual Public Works Department permit for any dumpster of one cubic yard or more, in a public way or…

In the City of Chicopee, Massachusetts, dumpsters cannot sit between the principal building and the street line or…

Placing any refuse container of 100 pounds or more capacity in a Fall River street or public way requires a Traffic…

The City of Framingham's Board of Health regulates every dumpster or trash container in the city: it must sit at least…

In the City of Haverhill, commercial dumpsters, utility meters, mechanical units and loading areas built within the…

Commercial haulers can't empty a dumpster on private property in Lawrence between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. Violating…

Leominster requires every off-street parking and loading plan to show dumpster location, access and screening under…

Lynn's Zoning Ordinance requires trash, compaction and recycling service areas to be fully enclosed within a building…

Every dumpster placed on residential or commercial property in Medford needs a Health Department permit under Sec…

Any containerized roll-off unit over five cubic yards placed on a New Bedford public way requires a permit from the…

Quincy requires commercial dumpsters and dumpsters at 8-plus-unit residential buildings to be sited clear of curbs and…

Revere Municipal Code Section 8.04.011 requires any dumpster or compactor exposed to public access or view to sit…

Somerville requires a Board of Health license for every dumpster of 75 gallons or more, at $100 per unit per year…

In Southborough's MBTA Communities Overlay District, dumpsters must be screened by a combination of fencing and…

Commercial dumpsters and roll-off containers of six cubic yards or more require an annual Fire Department permit in…

Worcester lets property owners use commercial metal dumpsters for refuse, but bans emptying them between 10 p.m. and 7…

In the City of Methuen, Massachusetts, § 11.14 of the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance requires facilities for trash…

Brockton collects solid waste and bulky items weekly year-round and recyclables every other week, per Sec. 8-3.4 of the…

Every Chelsea residence served by city or contracted collection must keep enough container capacity for its normal…

In the City of Chicopee, Massachusetts, garbage, ashes and rubbish are collected at least once a week from every…

In the City of Everett, Massachusetts, the city services commission must collect acceptable solid waste and provide for…

Fall River, Massachusetts runs mandatory City solid waste and recycling collection for single-family homes and…

City Code § 173-4 gives Haverhill's Board of Health charge of collecting and disposing of house dirt, ashes, waste and…

Lawrence's trash pickup is a service the city can withhold, not an entitlement that runs regardless of compliance. If a…

New Bedford's Department of Facilities and Fleet Management sets and publicizes a regular schedule for solid waste and…

Revere issues one trash cart per unit and limits curbside placement to a narrow window: no earlier than 3 p.m. the day…

Buildings with seven or more units that want city trash pickup pay $150 per unit annually under Sec. 11-35, and every…

Springfield mandates automated weekly trash collection citywide through City-issued carts, charging a $90 annual fee…

Worcester's Department of Public Works and Parks collects solid waste weekly from single-family homes and residential…

Boston operates a mandatory residential recycling program under Code of Ordinances § 7-13.1, adopted under M.G.L…

Brockton's code defines exactly which materials qualify as recyclables for curbside pickup: paper products, cardboard…

In the City of Chicopee, Massachusetts, metal and glass go together in the recycling receptacle, newspapers and…

In the City of Everett, Massachusetts, only authorized persons may remove recyclable material. Beverage container…

In the City of Haverhill, once discarded newspapers or other recyclable material are placed near the curb for pickup…

Medford requires every household and business that gets city solid waste service to separate recyclables from ordinary…

New development in Newton's Village Center Overlay District cannot leave recycling bins sitting in the open or facing…

Somerville requires every owner and occupant, residential or commercial, to separate designated recyclable materials…

Springfield's DPW-issued recycling carts go out curbside every other week by 6 a.m.; plastic bags and mixed-in trash…

Households in Taunton's curbside program must place recyclables only in the City-approved plastic bins the City…

Worcester bars mixing loads at the curb: Chapter Four, Section 6(e) and (f) make it a violation to put recyclables in a…

Lawrence makes it unlawful for anyone other than the property's owner, lessee, or occupant, the Sanitation Division, or…