Cambridge, MA Trash & Recycling: Yard Waste Collection (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Municipal Code Section 8.24.070(D)(1)(c)
- Required containers
- Paper leaf bags or labeled owner-supplied barrels
- Landscaper rule
- Landscaping company must haul waste away itself
- Max fine
- $300 per day under Section 8.24.260
- Enforcing agency
- Cambridge Department of Public Works
Summary
Cambridge requires leaves and yard waste to be bagged in paper leaf bags or set out in owner-supplied barrels marked with City-approved labels during the leaf and yard waste collection season. Municipal Code Section 8.24.070(D)(1)(c) governs the rule, and the Department of Public Works enforces it under Chapter 8.24's general penalty provisions.
c.During the leaf and yard waste collection season, owners or occupants shall place their leaves and yard waste in paper leaf bags (as defined in subsection C of this section) or open barrels to be provided by the owner or occupant. Barrels must be marked with City-approved yard waste labels. However, if the owner or occupant employs a commercial landscaping company, the landscaping company is responsible for hauling away the leaves and yard waste from the owner's property.
Full Breakdown
020(BB) as grass clippings, weeds, hedge clippings, garden waste, and twigs and brush not longer than two feet in length and one-half inch in diameter. 070(D)(1)(c) requires that during the leaf and yard waste collection season, owners or occupants place their leaves and yard waste in paper leaf bags or in open barrels supplied by the owner or occupant. 020(S): a sanitary Kraft paper sack of thirty-gallon capacity, two-ply, fifty-pound wet strength, with a reinforced self-supporting square bottom. Barrels used instead of bags must carry a City-approved yard waste label so DPW crews can identify them at the curb.
If a property owner or occupant hires a commercial landscaping company to maintain the yard, the ordinance shifts responsibility: the landscaping company, not the City, must haul the leaves and yard waste away from the property. 090. Residential owners with three or more units who do not live on site must also post contact information for whoever is responsible for maintaining the premises in a location visible from the outside entrance.
Violations & Fines
Violating any provision of Chapter 8.24, including the yard waste bagging and barrel-labeling rules, carries a fine of up to three hundred dollars per day under Section 8.24.260, with noncriminal disposition available under G.L. c. 40, Section 21D. The Commissioner of Public Works is the primary enforcing officer and may delegate enforcement to Public Works Enforcement Officers or the Commissioner of Inspectional Services. Each day the violation continues counts as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put yard waste out in plastic bags in Cambridge?
What happens if I hire a landscaper to clear my yard?
What counts as yard waste under Cambridge's code?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Cambridge
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Yard Waste Collection in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle yard waste collection.