Lowell offers weekly single-stream curbside recycling. Paper, cardboard, metal cans, and accepted plastics must be clean and placed in the city recycling bin on collection day.
Lowell operates single-stream recycling collected weekly on the same day as trash. Acceptable materials include mixed paper, flattened cardboard, aluminum and steel cans, glass bottles and jars, and plastic containers labeled #1, #2, and #5. Items must be rinsed and free of food residue. Plastic bags, film, tanglers, electronics, and scrap metal are not accepted at curbside. Massachusetts DEP bans cardboard, clean paper, metal and glass containers, and certain plastics from disposal as trash, making participation effectively mandatory. Contaminated loads can cause the hauler to reject an entire truck, so residents are asked to keep non-recyclables out.
Contact your local code enforcement office for specific penalty information.
Lowell, MA
Lowell applies the Massachusetts DEP 10-dB-above-ambient standard for objective measurement and uses a plainly-audible test for subjective enforcement.
Lowell, MA
Lowell restricts gas-powered leaf blower use to daytime hours; no outright ban exists, but decibel and hour limits apply under the general noise ordinance.
Lowell, MA
Outdoor music at restaurants, breweries, and event venues in Lowell requires an entertainment license and must end by 10 p.m. in residential zones.
Lowell, MA
Lowell enforces nighttime quiet hours that restrict unreasonable noise in residential areas, authorized under MGL c.40 s.21 and enforced by Lowell Police and...
Lowell, MA
Amplified music from homes, vehicles, or outdoor events in Lowell must not be plainly audible beyond 50 feet and is subject to permit rules for public venues.
Lowell, MA
Industrial operations in Lowell must keep noise within Massachusetts DEP guidelines and the local ordinance, with stricter limits at residential property lines.
Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in Middlesex County.
See how other cities in Middlesex County handle recycling requirements.
See how Lowell's recycling requirements rules stack up against other locations.
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