Lawrence, MA Trash & Recycling: Pickup Rules & Schedules (2026)

08's opening sections spell out the container standard every pickup in the city has to meet. 010 puts the duty directly on 'owners, landlords or tenants of all dwelling places, mercantile and industrial establishments' to provide separate covered, watertight containers for combustible refuse and for noncombustible household waste, rather than mixing everything into one bin. 020 sets where those containers can sit: they must be kept in 'an easily accessible and convenient area in the yard or building,' but the code specifically forbids storing them above the ground floor, and requires that they stay covered and protected from the weather at all times, whether or not collection day is near.

060 repeats the ground-floor and weatherproofing rule specifically for garbage, adding that garbage must be drained of water and liquids before it goes into its container. Read together, the three sections describe what public works crews expect to find when they arrive: dry, covered, ground-level containers sorted by waste type, not upper-floor storage, uncovered bins, or a single mixed receptacle. None of the three sections sets a specific collection day or time; the operational schedule is left to the department, but the container standard itself is mandatory code language that applies citywide to every dwelling and commercial or industrial property.