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

Suffolk County has no role in trash collection — each municipality handles it. Boston Public Works Department provides weekly curbside trash and recycling collection to 240,000+ residential addresses, organized by neighborhood schedule (found at boston.gov/trash). Bins must be curbside by 5:00 AM on pickup day; bins placed after the truck passes are not serviced. Contaminated recycling (plastic bags, food waste, non-recyclable items) will be rejected and left. Holiday delays shift pickup one day for the rest of the week (New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Day). Chelsea provides weekly collection through a contracted hauler. Revere and Winthrop each operate DPW collection with weekly trash and bi-weekly or weekly recycling. Massachusetts DEP's Waste Bans (310 CMR 19.017) prohibit disposal of recyclables, yard waste, food waste (for generators >0.5 tons/week), textiles, and mattresses in trash — statewide enforcement. Boston requires all multi-unit buildings 6+ units to provide recycling under Boston Municipal Code §7-4.