Somerville, MA Trash & Recycling: Recycling Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Applies to
- All buildings citywide, incl. city-owned
- Duty exists
- Even without city trash collection
- Commercial haulers
- Owner pays cost unless using city pickup
- Recycling plan
- Required on commissioner's request
- Materials list set by
- Commissioner of public works rules
Summary
Somerville requires every owner and occupant, residential or commercial, to separate designated recyclable materials from trash under Code of Ordinances § 11-40, regardless of whether the building uses city refuse collection. The commissioner of public works oversees the program and sets which materials must be separated.
(c) Mandatory separation of recyclable materials. It shall be mandatory for each owner or occupant in Somerville to separate all designated recyclable materials from other refuse in accordance with the provisions of this section. These mandatory recycling requirements shall apply to all buildings without regard to whether the building's solid waste is collected by the city. (1) Buildings which receive city solid waste collection services. It shall be mandatory for each owner or occupant of a building which receives city solid waste collection services to separate from other refuse all recyclable materials designated by the commissioner in rules and regulations issued under this section. This requirement shall also apply to all city-owned buildings, including schools.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Zoning Ordinances: Revision - CodeBank PDF Post).
Full Breakdown
Section 11-40 establishes Somerville's mandatory recycling program 'to reduce the amount of solid waste generated' and applies to all buildings in the city under the supervision of the commissioner of public works. ' For buildings that use city collection, including city-owned buildings and schools, occupants must separate whatever materials the commissioner designates by rule. Buildings that arrange their own private hauling still have to separate recyclables and, under subsection (e), must submit a recycling plan to the commissioner on request, covering a certification that recyclables will be put out for collection, the frequency of collection, and the collection method and container types used.
Commercial and nonprofit establishments bear the cost of their own recyclables separation and collection unless they choose to pay the city's per-receptacle fee for pickup, and the commissioner can require documentation from any hauler or building owner showing that separated recyclables actually reach a broker or end market rather than being landfilled or incinerated. The commissioner designates which specific materials qualify as recyclable in rules issued under the ordinance, so the separation list can be updated without a new ordinance vote.
Violations & Fines
A violation of § 11-40 is punishable by a fine under § 1-11, pursued through the noncriminal disposition procedure of G.L. c. 40, § 21D, and applies to the resident, owner or other responsible person. Buildings that don't submit a required recycling plan or that fail to document where their recyclables end up can be cited the same as a building that never separates materials at all.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to recycle in Somerville if I use a private trash hauler?
Who decides what materials Somerville considers recyclable?
Do commercial buildings have to submit a recycling plan?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Somerville
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Recycling Rules in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle recycling rules.