Boston, MA Trash & Recycling: Recycling Requirements (2026)
Key Facts
- Program basis
- M.G.L. Chapter 40, Section 8H
- Recycling target
- 50% of residential wastestream by FY 1999
- Education lead time
- At least 1 month before start
- State cross-reference
- 310 CMR 19.017 waste-ban regulation
- Fallback
- Alternative program where curbside isn't feasible
Summary
Boston's Code of Ordinances § 7-13.4 requires residents at premises the Commissioner designates to separate specified recyclables from other solid waste and place them in set-out containers at the curb for collection. Where curbside pickup isn't feasible for an area or building type, the Commissioner must develop an alternative recycling program instead.
7-13.4 Recycling Mechanisms. (A) On a schedule to be determined by the Commissioner, residential premises designated by the Commissioner shall separate specified recyclables from all other solid waste that they deposit at the curb or other pickup locations for collection and shall place said recyclables in set-out containers for collection. The Department shall arrange for the collection of all said recyclables either through requirements of the regular district waste collection contract or through such other arrangements as the Commissioner determines to be most advantageous to the city. (B) The Commissioner shall develop and implement alternative recycling programs for residential premises where, in the judgment of the Commissioner, a curbside collection program is not feasible for either a specified geographic area or for specific classes of residences.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-2: Current through Ordinance 2025 C. 14, passed 11-5-2025).
Full Breakdown
" The Department of Public Works arranges collection either through the standard district waste-collection contract or other arrangements the Commissioner finds most advantageous, and both the schedule and the list of designated premises are set administratively rather than fixed in the ordinance text itself. Subsection (B) requires the Commissioner to build an alternative recycling program for any geographic area or class of residence where curbside collection isn't feasible, a provision that covers dense multifamily blocks and other properties the district contract doesn't reach efficiently. Subsection (C) obligates the Commissioner to run public education campaigns, potentially with Boston Public Schools, neighborhood councils and community groups, and those campaigns must start at least one month before separation requirements take effect for a given area or before any alternative program begins operating.
017 waste-ban regulation. 5, which commits the Department to recycling at least 28% of the residential wastestream by weight starting in fiscal 1993, rising to 38% by fiscal 1996 and 50% by fiscal 1999, contingent on materials-recovery facility capacity.
Violations & Fines
§7-13.4 itself doesn't set a fine for a resident who fails to separate recyclables at the curb: that consequence lives in the companion enforcement Section, 7-13.6, which authorizes suspending recycling pickup after two written warnings. Waste haulers who fail to meet contract-level recycling targets under 7-13.5 face contract penalties and possible non-renewal set by the Commissioner.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to separate recycling from trash in Boston?
What if curbside recycling doesn't work for my building?
What recycling percentage is Boston required to hit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Boston
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Recycling Requirements in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle recycling requirements.