Medford, MA Trash & Recycling: Yard Waste Collection (2026)

Section 70-102 of the Revised Ordinances makes leaf separation mandatory for every recipient of city solid waste service: leaves must be kept apart from ordinary refuse, and if a household fails to separate them, the city may decide not to collect other refuse from that address, turning a missed leaf-bagging step into a citywide trash stoppage for that address rather than a fine. Section 70-104(a) governs how leaves must be packaged during the city's defined leaf collection season, the period each year when the city collects leaves for recycling or composting at curbside or otherwise, per § 70-42: residents must place leaves in paper lawn bags or open barrels they provide themselves, and leaves shall not be mixed with other yard materials or refuse.

The ordinance is specific about the bag: § 70-42 defines a paper leaf bag as any brand of kraft paper or equivalent, 30-gallon capacity, self-supporting, square-bottomed, two-ply, 50-pound wet strength, biodegradable paper bag, and § 70-104(a) states flatly that plastic bags of leaves will not be collected. The broader definition of other yard waste in § 70-42 covers grass and hedge clippings, twigs and brush, and garden materials no longer than two feet and no thicker than one-half inch, which are handled as part of the general recyclable-materials program under § 70-103 rather than the leaf-specific rules of § 70-102.