Plymouth County, MA Trash & Recycling: Bin Placement Rules (2026)

Massachusetts gives trash container regulation to local boards of health, which act under MGL c.111 §31. That statute lets each community's board make reasonable health regulations, and boards use it to require covered, rodent-resistant containers and to limit how long carts sit at the curb. Brockton, Plymouth, and the surrounding towns typically require lidded barrels or town-issued carts kept off the public way, with containers stored so they are not a harborage for rodents. There is no uniform screening mandate across the county; the enforceable standard is that stored refuse must not create an unsanitary or nuisance condition under the board's regulations.