Plymouth County, MA Trash & Recycling: Recycling Requirements (2026)
Key Facts
- Recycling
- Mandatory statewide
- Banned From Trash
- Containers, paper, yard waste
- Food Waste Ban
- Half ton or more weekly
- Plymouth Recycling
- Biweekly single-stream
Summary
Recyclables are banned from the trash across Plymouth County by the MassDEP waste ban at 310 CMR 19.017. Glass, metal, and plastic containers, paper, cardboard, and leaf and yard waste must be separated and diverted, not landfilled or burned.
No person shall dispose, transfer for disposal, or contract for disposal or transport of the restricted material, except in accordance with the restriction established in 310 CMR 19.017(3): Table.
Full Breakdown
Recycling is mandatory statewide through the disposal ban, so it applies uniformly across every Plymouth County community. Under 310 CMR 19.017, glass, metal, and plastic containers, paper including cardboard, single resin plastics, leaf and yard waste, lead-acid batteries, and commercial food or organic waste from generators of one-half ton or more per week are restricted materials that may not be disposed of as trash. Plymouth collects single-stream recycling biweekly and takes cardboard, glass, plastics #1 through 7, and aluminum. Brockton and the towns run curbside recycling or transfer station drop-off. Yard waste is collected seasonally, roughly April through December.
Violations & Fines
Mixing recyclables or yard waste into trash violates the state ban. Haulers can refuse contaminated carts, and MassDEP enforces the disposal restriction at the receiving facility rather than the household level.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to recycle in Plymouth County?
What plastics does Plymouth accept?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Plymouth County
Compare Plymouth County to another location·View the Massachusetts trash & recycling overview
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